To See Your Face Again
by Para Warrior Princess
Summary: Pan and Bra are sent away, and their memories erased! Now they must go on a long journey to find their homes, and to find the rest of the Z Gang... but without their memories, how will they handle this confusing adventure of a lost destiny? T/P, G/B
1. Separation and Sorrow

To See Your Face Again

To See Your Face Again (prologue)

Hi everyone! I know you're probably thinking "Hey, look! A new author on FF.Net!", but actually we are not. We are Bra and Pan, two semi-professional writers, and we have fused together to write this story. Before we fused into Para, we were both two T/P G/B (u/m) authors on FF.Net. We aren't going to reveal who we are, we'll only say that we are Bra (the princess) and Pan (the warrior). We are going to be taking turns writing the chapters. See if you can guess who we are by our writing styles! We might give away some hints in the author notes. Until then, our identities remain a mystery…Hope you like the story! (We don't own Dragonball Z/GT, but then again…who does?)

(This chapter is by Pan)

"But kaasan!" cried Goten, "You can't send them away! They've both become so strong, and we know that they can take care of themselves!"

"I'm sorry, Goten dear," said Chi-Chi sadly, "It's become too dangerous… they may have been lucky a few times… but there's always the risk…"

"Grandma!" shouted Pan, walking into the Son house and slamming the door. Chi-Chi flinched when she saw how Pan's eyes burned with anger, "Is it true? Surely it's all just a big joke that someone forgot to make funny? It can't be true! No one is heartless enough to do something like this to us!"

"Pan, honey," said Chi-Chi softly, "It's for the best…"

"For the best?!" Pan's ki rose considerably, "If my grandfather was alive, I know he would understand! Grandpa Goku knew how important it was to be together in times like these! Obviously, grandma, you learned nothing all these years that we've been struggling. Do you even know what keeps us alive?"

"I…Pan, please try to understand…" began Chi-Chi.

"No! _You_ try to understand!" Pan's hands clenched into fists, "We _need _each other, when things seem like they're going to fall apart, we _need_ to have each other. What else are we going to hold onto? What else will give us hope?"

"Mom, how could you even think about doing this?" Goten's face was pale.

The door opened again and Trunks walked in looking paler than Goten. Bra followed close behind, her eyes brimming with tears.

"How could you, Chi-Chi?" asked Trunks, his voice filled with something similar to hatred. 

"Listen!" said Chi-Chi regaining her composure, "Bulma, Juuhachigou, and Videl all agree with me! It's safer for the girls…"

"NO!" said Bra, sobbing, "It's not safer! It's a cruel punishment! You _can't _send us away! You can't!"

"We can and we will!" said a voice from the doorway. The kids turned to see Bulma walk in, followed by Videl. Bulma was holding a capsule. Pan gasped, and her anger instantly turned to fear. She raised her shaking hands up to her face.

"NO!" cried Pan, "We will _not_ go! You can't make us! I will fight!"

Videl walked up to Pan, "Will you fight with your own mother?"

Pan looked at her mother for a second, but found that she couldn't bring herself to harm her. She looked at the ground helplessly, tears splashing onto her cheeks.

"Ouch!" cried Bra. She gasped when she saw the needle that was in her arm. Bulma held it so that the yellow liquid drained into her bloodstream. Bra stood frozen in shock, wondering what the needle would do to her.

"No!" said Goten, as Chi-Chi stuck a needle into his arm, and Pan and Trunks were also injected.

"What the hell have you done?" asked Trunks, looking in horror at the four empty needle syringes. 

"The needles we gave to Trunks and Goten will erase all memories that Pan, Bra and Marron ever existed," said Bulma, "The ones we gave to Pan and Bra will erase all memories of this world. Right now at the Kame house Juuhachigou is giving these needles to Marron and Uub too."

"It's not working!" shouted Pan, "I can still remember everything! I remember my grandfather! I remember the war! I remember Trunks and Goten! Your stupid needles aren't working!"

"Of course not," said Bulma coolly, "It takes a few minutes to work, fifteen at the most…"

"NO!" shouted Trunks, "I don't want to forget them! My little sister, Marron…Pan! How can you do this? You can't send them away! I don't want to forget! No!"

Bra threw herself at Goten and cried in his arms, "Oh, Goten! I can't bear it! I don't want to be apart from you!"

"I feel the same, Bra-chan," said Goten, stoking her hair, "I love you more than anything. We'll be together again someday, I promise you this. You'll remember me won't you?"

"Oh, yes!" cried Bra, leaning up to kiss Goten, "Forever."

Trunks walked over to Pan and took her hands. They looked into each other's tearful eyes. No words were needed to be said, for they both felt the sorrow rip through their hearts. Trunks reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden locket on a chain. He placed it around Pan's neck and whispered, "I was going to give you that on your birthday, but now…Pan, you know how much I love you! Please, keep my memory somewhere in your heart. It'll take more than a needle and a world to separate _us_."

"Yes," whispered Pan, reaching up and brushing a strand of hair out of Trunks' eyes, "And promise me that wherever I am, we'll always find a way to each other?"

"Always," said Trunks, leaning forward till their lips met in a final sweet kiss. 

"It's time to send Pan and Bra to the other dimension now," said Bulma, she popped the capsule, and it revealed two space pods, "Only one person can fit into a pod. Marron has her own pod too. Get in girls."

Pan threw her arms around Trunks tightly and said softly, "I love you Trunks Vegeta Briefs! I love you more than life itself, and don't you _ever _forget that!" 

Bra clutched onto Goten still crying, "Goten, I don't want to leave you! Please! Do something! _Please_!"

Bulma and Videl took their daughters and tried to put them into the pods. Bra tried helplessly to free herself of her mother's grasp while Pan struggled. 

"It's no use," said Videl, "I'm sorry that I have to do this to you Pan, but it's better if you're in a world where you're safe from the war. There you can live a normal life."

Pan froze, "Normal? Meaning…no fighting? My saiya-jin powers…OH NO! PLEASE NO! Bulma-san! Please tell me…the needle…did it…"

"Yes, Pan," said Bulma, "The needle has stripped you of your saiya-jin powers. It's better this way."

Pan felt her knees give way, and Videl used that moment to push Pan into the pod and close the door. Pan put her hands onto the glass and looked out, panicking when she realized that this could be the last time she ever saw Trunks…

"NO!" cried Pan pounding on the glass, "I BELONG HERE! DON'T SEND ME AWAY! PLEASE! TRUNKS! TRUNKS!"

Pan gasped when she saw Bra get pushed into the other pod, "NO! BRA! FIGHT!"

Bra screamed as the glass door closed, "GOTEN! GOTEN! DON'T LET THEM DO THIS! GOTEN!"

"TRUNKS! UNCLE GOTEN! SAVE US!" Pan pounded on the glass harder, she desperately put her hands together, "KAMEHAMEHA!"

Nothing happened.

"NO!" cried Pan, as she realized that the needle was beginning to work, she looked out at the people standing around the two pods, and _she couldn't remember who they were…no! why don't I remember? Who are they…so familiar…but him… I know him! He's Trunks!_ "TRUNKS! TRUNKS! I LOVE YOU! TRUNKS!"

Pan put out her hand and tried to reach him, but she fell back on the seat and everything slowly faded as she blacked out.

Bra gasped as she saw Pan pass out, and she knew that soon the same thing would happen to her, she tried to blast herself out of there before the darkness consumed her, "BIG BANG ATTACK!"

Nothing happened…

Bra gasped, "NO! GALLIC GUN! FINAL FLASH! BURNING…IT'S NOT WORKING! GOTEN! ONIICHAN! SAVE US! SAVE US! GOTEN!"

Bra glanced at Pan and saw her lying limply on the seat of the space pod. Bra gave up. She looked out one more time, at the face of one whom she never wanted to forget, "I LOVE YOU GOTEN!"

Then she blacked out.

The two space pods shot out the roof of the Son house and into the sky.

Trunks and Goten looked after the pods into the sky blankly. Trunks turned to Bulma and asked innocently, "Kaasan? Who were those girls?"

And that is how the story begins…

Pan, Bra, and Marron, sent away to another world in order to be safe from the war that was going on in their own dimension…Separated from their loved ones…will their memories return? Or will they be forever stranded in the other world without their powers? Will they survive? Tune in to the next episode…er, chapter of "To See Your Face Again" to find out! Now, I will pass the pen to my best friend Bra, to continue where I left off. BUT, she will only continue IF you encourage her with some nice reviews! So you better review! Bye now!


	2. Finding Destiny - Bra's Story

To See your face again  
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ!   
A/N: Hey! This is the newest addition to Para Warrior Princess's work! WE want to say thanks for all the reviews.....can you guess who we are yet? Want a clue? We love to write, and we have been on FF.net for quite a while now. ~Pan~ is a totally awesome writer, and I'm ~Bra~ ok! Well, I'll stop my bickering and move on. Oh yeah, this is Bra's side of the story.   
  
Bra sat in her extremely boring history class, staring sadly out of the wide window. Nothing that was going on in the classroom was new to her, paying attention wasn't even a basic habit in her life. She didn't even listen to the teacher anymore, let alone watch what he did. She was sick of it all, the teasing, the depression and the shit that she had to live through, every day. She didn't even feel like putting up with anything anymore, and her mind screamed out 'run away'.   
"Bra! Listen! How many times a week do I catch you staring out of that particular window?? Missy, if you don't listen now, what are you going to do when the test rolls around??" The teacher asked strictly, Bra looked at him sourly.   
"I'm going to do great on the test, your annoyance doesn't help me concentrate at all." She didn't even care if she got a detention, it was nothing new to her. Her teacher grew angry and immediately sent her to detention, saying she was "Misbehaving and Interrupting the Class" Bra growled, and mumbled under her breathe. She walked out of the class limply, and felt her energy level rising. All throughout her life, Bra had had sudden out bursts and flashbacks of a far away place, yet when ever she tried to catch her memory again, it always happened to slip away. She sat on the hard, cold floor of the dreaded school and watched the clock tick. She didn't want to live in this stupid world, with all it's impossible problems, and unimportant people. She sighed heavily, feeling so different from the others all around her. They all looked human, all had hair, eyes and all that.....but her heart pumped with a power that she knew couldn't actually be human. She'd always been the kid who had a wild imagination and far off dreams, yet to her, her dreams seemed totally real and not that unusual. Only one thing in the whole pathetic world made her happy, actually made Bra smile her amazing smile. She took out her binder, which was full of pictures of the Dragon Ball Z characters and the other creations of Akira Toriyama.   
"You are so cool Akira T. You created the best cartoon in the world, and the only thing interesting on this weak planet. Even though she was human, and not that unordinary looking, Bra was very different from the inside, and she loved to acknowledge her differences. To her, she was very special, but to all the other people, she was just a stupid girl who was obsessed with DBZ. And it was true, Bra dearly loved all of the awesome episodes of Dragon Ball Z, along with all the pictures and downloads she was able to find. Bra took out her favorite action figure and silently laid him on top of her binder. She grinned and took out her other small action figures. She had been collecting them forever. She adored all the characters and their spectacular moves, but this certain one always made her fall into a particular dream world. It was a Super Saiyan figure of Goten Son. Bra grabbed Goten and looked at him very closely. She felt his spiky hair and stared hopelessly into his green-blue eyes.   
"Hey Goten!" She whispered and gave him a tiny kiss. She didn't even care if anyone saw her, if they did, that was good for them. She wasn't afraid of admitting her crazy addiction to DBZ and Goten. He was just so cool and hot! His character was an amazingly real one, and Bra couldn't help but feel certain attractions to him. Goten was real in her heart, and for some reason, she felt she surely knew Goten, and he was perfect. Bra giggled and picked up a couple other action figures. Now she held Vegeta, Goku, Trunks, and Bulma. They all made her heart feel so big and bright, all she needed to do was over look all of her DBZ pictures and magazine cut outs and her heart was pumping energetically again. She grinned at the mean scowl on Vegeta's face.   
"I can almost see through that mean glance of yours' Vegeta!" She said warmly, all of the characters pulled at her heart, making her so want to be apart of their tiny group. She wished so dearly that she could become as powerful as them, and just fly away with Goten.....Bra snapped out of her little daydream to look back at the figure of Trunks. She was very used to being pulled away by her thoughts and falling into a peaceful dream world, that included all her favorite characters and her, all chatting and messing around. That was the type of environment she wished to live in, and sometimes she thought that the dreams were SO REAL that when she was snapped out of it, it practically hurt. She again looked at the figure of the tall standing, lavender haired dude.   
"Trunks.....the modern, strong saiyan.....hmm." She had always thought of the saiyan, Trunks, as a peculiar role in her life, even though he was a cartoon, she felt very defensive towards him.....and Goten. She never let anyone around her talk about them, because instantly she felt her anger rise. She looked at the AMAZING GOKU SON figure and smirked.   
"The all time wonderful Goku.....boy could I do with a relative like him!" She whispered, he seemed so perfect and nice that whenever she thought of her dumb human Dad, he always seemed 1,000 times better, along with Vegeta. They were the original saiyans and that was a powerful thing. She picked up the girl action figures and smiled sweetly.   
"Bulma, Chichi, and Videl.....the three superior women of the gang. Wow." Bra loved how the women acted and how strong their roles were in the lives of the saiyans. They were the doctors, the lovers, and the mates to the saiyans.....how fun!! Bra could just picture herself sitting with Goten on a high beach-like area, wearing a two-piece bathing suit, and just snuggling closer and closer to the handsome saiyan. She could totally understand how sweet and important Goten and Trunks were. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, when she was "dreaming" she had sudden thoughts and "dreams" of them. Whenever she woke up, it was very hard to imagine what she was dreaming again.   
"BRA! I sent you to detention didn't I??" An enraged voice sounded, making Bra jump up in a startled way. Bra looked at the teacher, with a blank expression. The teacher's word didn't even reach her ears, she wasn't listening when he told her to go straight to the principle's office. Bra shrugged at the teacher, making him growl.   
"Look, I'll go to detention tomorrow, besides, it's going to be time to leave in like 5 minutes and that way I can finish all my time in there." Bra said, the teacher looked at her suspiciously, then just walked away mumbling incoherently. Bra rolled her cerulean eyes.  
"Like I was actually telling the truth! Uh....I don't want to go home to a place where there is at least one person yelling at me, at all times! It's too much for me to handle sometimes! I definitely don't want to stay here either! Life!" Bra mumbled and carefully packed away her DBZ stuff, it was too precious to just throw into her backpack, like all the other stuff her teacher's had assigned her. Bra looked up at the clock and slowly walked out of the entrance door to their crappy school.   
  
~*~Home~*~   
Bra sat in her stuffy room trying to concentrate all the stupid homework the damn teachers had assigned to her. Her 'human' mother walked in, yelled at her for a moment about the mess and then yelled a bit louder, obviously wanting Bra to respond.   
"Yes Mother! I heard you!" Bra said, even her family seemed a bit far away too her, she felt more related to a cartoon than to her actual mother. Bra laid her head on her stack of papers and felt a shock wave of depression spread over her petite body.  
"Everything I do isn't good enough. Everything I dream, isn't real enough. Everything I want, isn't close enough.....and everything I dream isn't beautiful enough. Why cant I just be Bra! Why cant they just leave me as I am....why do I have to live by their unrealistic rules and go by the dreams they want me too?? I can't take it anymore, it's just too much for me to handle!" Bra whispered in an enraged and disappointed manner. Bra closed her eyes, feeling a certain peaceful dream creeping up upon her.  
~*~Flashback~*~  
  
Bra sat on her back, staring deep into the blue sky, when suddenly a figure jumped next to her.   
"Ah! Goten......uh....you scared me!" Bra giggled as the saiyan smiled sheepishly.  
"Sorry Bra-Chan! I didn't mean to. Besides, why would I want to startle someone as beautiful as you? Come here." Goten held Bra lovingly, they loved each other madly. Bra smiled and let her hands instinctively reach up into his hair. He kissed her hand slightly and together they watched the waves of the near ocean explode into the sky, sending a soothing mist over the two lovers. Goten laid his head on hers and whispered, "Your so lovely Angel." Bra kissed his cheek passionately.  
"So are you!" She smiled.....right when they were about to lock into a deep kiss......SPLASH!  
"AAARRRGGHHH!!! Pan! Trunks!!!! Oniichan you messed up the moment!! Ah!" Bra screeched, making Goten abruptly jump up and Trunks and Pan fall down in laughter. Bra got up and chuckled too, her and Goten glanced at each other before suddenly tackling Pan and Trunks. All four saiyans laughed loudly and rolled down the little hill, into the bright blue ocean. Pan and Bra splashed wildly at each other, with Trunks and Goten not far behind................  
  
"What the!" Bra snapped out of her perfect dream and sadly realized it was only her imagination running away with her thoughts.....again! Bra felt her emotions dip, and her head felt heavy. Everyday she felt that something VERY IMPORTANT in her life was desperately missing. That thought bugged her in her sleep, on the way to school, at school and everywhere else. It was such a deep thought that her head and heart began to pound wildly when she thought about it. She wished she could go on with whatever was missing in her life, and bring it into her life so she could finally be peaceful and happy. She knew that whatever it was that was missing from her life was extremely powerful and that she needed to get to it immediately. Bra jumped off her bed excitedly......a newly formed idea stirring up inside her head. Bra knew that her heart would be able to guide her wherever she needed to be, or go. This thought raced through her blood stream and mind, bringing back her lost energy. She raced over to her closet and through out thousands of clothes she hardly wore. She finally pulled out a couple of decent "traveling" clothes, through them into her backpack, grabbed her books and through them onto the ground, all the while her heart racing.   
"What if I can do something about.....about this feeling!! I don't want to be 'abused' anymore. I have to go out and find my destiny, I have to go find myself.....the true Bra. Oh!!! I'm running away, I can't believe it!!" Bra stuffed some extra money into her backpack, along with a very small laptop computer, hey, she needed to stay in touch with something that could help her keep track of what was happening in the cartoon world! Bra changed into a pair of black jeans, with a black tank top, and some boots. She tied her hair back and checked over her things again. She had clothes, money, access to the internet, and.......Bra gasped. She forgot she had an appetite that was bigger than that of a bears!! She slowly scooted out of her room, it was dark in the small hallway, since everyone else in the home was fast asleep. She tiptoed down the stairs and into the kitchen. First she made herself a silent, HUGE meal. She ate it desperately, not knowing if it would be her last or not. She was very serious of her mission, and knew she wasn't about to back off of it. She grabbed some meat, breads, fruits and snacks that would probably last her a week. She quickly stuffed it all in her backpack, all the while keeping encouraging thoughts in her mind. She went back up into her room, for a last peek. She sighed, there were tons of posters of Goten, Trunks, and all the others on her wall, and that was the only thing she went back to see. She sighed, 'It's okay Bra, for some reason, I think you'll be able to see them all, sooner or later.' Bra thought. She went back down stairs, quickly jotted down a note that told her Mom not to worry, and she was off into the night. Bra sighed and looked around. She closed her eyes and felt her mind and heart cry out "SOUTHWARD!!" Bra smiled, on with my trip. She was scared, yet her heart keep telling her to stay focused, that something more important than fear was waiting for her, that her wish would be coming true........with that powerful thought, Bra went onward.....on her wild journey through the night. Bra moved through the night sky quickly, fastening her speed. She didn't really know where she was going, or what she was to do when she got there, but her heart kept her going. Her heart kept her mind in simple, pleasant thoughts, and then again, she wouldn't have to go to dreadful school the next morning, and that always cheered her up. Bra thought of an idea. She was already in the city, seeing how her home was only about a mile off from all the markets and stores. She caught sight of the place she wanted to be, and ran over there. She took out some money from her backpack and went up to the man in the stool.  
"Excuse me, I want to know how much it would cost to get a bus ticket to a different state??" Bra asked politely, the man behind the counter just looked at her.  
"Aren't you a little young to be wandering around Miss??" He asked. Bra looked at him.  
"Don't worry about me Mister, just do your job and tell me how much $ it's going to take to get there!" Bra said. The man raised his eyebrows, then shrugged.  
"20.56 for a one way ticket to New Mexico." He said, Bra nodded, thinking quietly. 'Well, I brought along $40, and I'd be spending half......let's just buy the ticket and be on our way.' She thought bravely and gave him the money. He gave her a small ticket that read it would be 35 minutes till the next bus that took passengers to a different state. She sighed and put it in her pocket. All she had to do now was wait.....wait until her destiny took her on her path.  
  
~*~The End.....Till Now!!~*~  
A/N: Did you like it? Hi, I'm Bra! Please review and tell me and Pan what you thought! Can you guess who we are now? Anyways, Pan will continue.....but only if you're extra nice! Give her some nice reviews please, she deserves them! Well, that was my side of the story, sorry if it's a bit confusing, but it'll clear up as Pan starts her next chapter. You have to keep one thing in mind.....Bra and Pan and Marron lost their powers and memories......Ok, I have to go! CYA!  
  



	3. Missing Pieces - Pan's Story

To See Your Face Again ch

To See Your Face Again ch.3

Hey, everyone! Here is the third chapter of the fic. I know it might have sounded strange that the mothers sent away Bra, Pan and Marron, and took away their powers, but this is DBZ world, anything can happen. Remember that the reason they were sent away was to protect them from the war that was going on (more about that later) in their world. Also remember that Bra, Pan, and Marron all were sent to the regular world in their own individual space pods, and each one landed in a different area, so that's why they are not together (yet).So again, we don't own DBZ (or any songs used), Enjoy the fic.

(this chapter by Pan)

In the hall of a small Middle School in Toronto, a young girl sat on the floor leaned against the row of lockers. Her head bent slightly she played with a key-chain hanging from her jeans. Just then the door to the classroom opened and a teacher stepped out.

"Pan, would you care to explain why you punched Ahmed in the stomach?" asked the teacher.

Pan got to her feet and stared the teacher straight in the face, "I punched him because he deserved it. He insulted one of the people that I care about, and I don't regret what I did. I would do it again if I had to."

The teacher looked at Pan strangely, "What exactly did he say?"

"You don't need to know," said Pan walking past the teacher and into the classroom. She took her seat and turned to face the chalkboard with blazing eyes.

The teacher walked in, "Ahmed, I think you owe Pan an apology for whatever you said to hurt her feelings."

"Oh, gee Pan," sneered Ahmed, a big fat boy who was as ugly as he was fat, "I'm SO very sorry for saying that Trunks is a grape-headed freak who has disgusting hair and a big mouth, who is stupid, and who is as weak as an ant, and NOT EVEN REAL!"

The class erupted into laughter while Pan stood up slowly she turned towards Ahmed and was about to lunge at him with her fists flying, but the teacher grabbed the back of her shirt and said, "Calm down, Pan."

Pan stopped fighting and sighed. _Why must it always be like this? Why don't they understand? They hurt me so much_…

Pan put her hand back down to play with her key-chain and gasped when she felt it was no there. She looked back to see another of the boys holding it up grinning.

"Looking for this?" he taunted. He swung the key-chain back and forth teasingly, "Does little Pan want back her little super saiyan Goku key-chain?"

Pan bit her lip, afraid of what she would say if she opened her mouth. So instead of using words, she did the next best thing…she tackled the boy holding her Goku key-chain and snatched it away, punching him in the face.

"Bakayarou," she said, holding her Goku key-chain tightly, "Why don't you people just LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The class laughed as Pan ran from the room. The teacher shook his head, wondering if that girl would ever learn to control her temper.

Meanwhile Pan ran out the doors of her school and climbed a tree in her school yard. She sat in the tree and buried her face into her hands, thinking about what a wreck her life was. The children at her school all loved to tease her and make her life a living hell. They knew exactly how to make her angry and get on her nerves, because Pan had a weak spot.

Her whole life she had always been unpopular, but she didn't really care. She was a tomboy, and didn't like to hang out with the girls who wore skirts and talked about boys and makeup all day and night. But still…she would have been happy to have just one true friend…

Pan hugged the Goku key-chain closer, and closed her eyes. The only thing that had made her life have a meaning was the TV show Dragonball Z. She had never missed an episode, and she had memorized most of them by heart. She had watched the way the characters fought with determination and perseverance, she had observed the way that they sacrificed everything for the ones they loved. She had looked on in amazement as the great saiya-jin Vegeta had turned into one of the good guys…still maintaining his dignified pride.

And somewhere along the way, Dragonball Z had found it's way into Pan's heart. It had become a part of her, as much as her hand or foot. She didn't just _watch_ DBZ, she _felt_ it. She cried whenever Goku died, or Gohan was hurt, or Mirai Trunks told of his miserable timeline. She yelled whenever Vegeta stupidly made it possible for Cell to become complete, or when the idiot Mr.Satan/Hercule would take all the credit for being the strongest man, when he really was just a man with a big mouth.

Dragonball Z was more than just a cartoon to her. She dreamt about it every night, dreamt about being able to live in a world where she was appreciated, where she could have special fighting powers…

Fighting powers. Pan had always wondered why whenever she got angry she would lose control of herself, feel a sudden rush of adrenaline, and beat people up senselessly. Still, as soon as she calmed down and realized what she was doing, she would stop and feel her energy go back to normal. Sometimes she wondered if she trained hard enough she could someday become as powerful as the DBZ people, and control her anger.

She did train. All the time that she wasn't reading or writing DBZ fanfiction, or doing advanced studying, she would train with 25 pound weights…she couldn't afford more. She would do sit-ups and push-ups, work on her flexibility so that she could do back flips…all in the hopes that someday she would be worthy of being a DBZ character.

Pan held the Goku key-chain a little away from her and looked at it longingly. Goku was standing on the Flying Nimbus with one knee bent, his hair waving back, with his arm stretched forward. He wore a genuine smile of happiness on his face. Pan half expected a cute little Chibi Gohan to pop his head out from behind Goku's knee, and smile up at his father sweetly. 

Pan wondered why whenever she watched the Son family…especially in the episode called "Memories of Gohan" where the Sons looked through the family album entitled "HOPE". Everytime she watched the Son family laughing, eating, Chi-Chi yelling, Goku forgetting, Gohan studying…The same thought would cross her mind. _Why can't I be there? Why do I feel like I belong there? Why, oh, why can't my dreams come true?_

She would place her hands on the TV screen wishing that she could just get sucked into the world…but she didn't. Pan, from the time she was little had never been happy… she had always dreamed up another _perfect_ life in her mind. Pan had a great imagination, and before she went to sleep she would lie awake imagining all the things that she wished would happen in her boring life… battles and aliens and capsules and Trunks…

Trunks. Pan took off her dear blue knapsack that contained her most precious possessions, and opened it. She slipped out a picture frame and looked at it wistfully. Another faraway dream to make her heart ache. Trunks, in all his handsome splendor was smiling his "Cute Trunks" smile in the picture. Pan traced his face through the glass and smiled back at him. To her, he was real, and would forever be real. 

She put the picture away in her knapsack, handling it as carefully and lovingly as if it was the real Trunks. She stood up on the tree branch and looked out at the clear blue sky. She put her arms out and inhaled the fresh air deeply, closing her eyes as a sense of peacefulness overcame her. _Oh, if only I could fly! If only I could sail through the azure skies forever and never have to face humans again! _Pan smiled as the wind blew against her skin. 

****

*BRRRRING!*

Her eyes snapped open and she almost lost her balance on the tree branch. Pan glanced at her watch and immediately jumped off the tree branch and ran for the school. It was the lunch bell.

While Pan walked the halls towards the cafeteria, she could hear snickers and whispers being murmured. For some reason she could always hear when someone whispered something about her. It seemed that she had a sharp sense of hearing. Almost as sharp as her eyesight, that she used to look at the stars in the sky.

When Pan reached the cafeteria, she stood in line patiently waiting for her turn. Unfortunately, she had to put up with the kids teasing her all the while. When it was finally her turn, the cafeteria lady smiled at Pan…the first sincere smile she had received all day.

"Will you be having the usual, Pan?" she asked.

"Yes, please," said Pan, placing the five dollar bill on the counter.

The lady walked away and returned almost instantly with a large plate piled high with food, she handed it to Pan with some difficulty due to the weight, "Enjoy."

Pan took it easily and nodded, "Thank you Vince, I will." 

Pan walked into the cafeteria eating space and took her usual space, a quiet corner where she could eat her food without people making comments. Of course it didn't stop them from making comments, but at least she wouldn't be able to hear them.

When Pan had finished her food, she went outside and climbed her special tree again. This time the school yard was filled with loud yelling kids so she couldn't think. Once more she went into her blue knapsack that contained her precious possessions, and pulled out her compact CD player. Her favourite CD was already in there so she stuck the phones in her ears and pressed play. Soon the sound of children yelling was drowned out by the sweet sound of Savage Garden's Music: 

__

When you feel all alone,

And the world has turned it's back on you

Give me a moment please

To tame your wild wild heart

I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you,

It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold

When darkness is upon your door

And you feel like you can't take anymore….

Pan hummed softly along with the music. It expressed exactly how she felt inside. She forgot all about her surroundings as she leaned on her tree branch and listened to the song.

__

Let me be the one you call

If you jump I'll break your fall,

Lift you up and fly away with you into the night,

If you need to fall apart,

I can mend a broken heart,

If you need to crash,

Then crash and burn you're not alone.

Pan sighed. The only difference from her life and the song was that in the song, someone actually _cared_ that the person was alone and depressed, and was willing to lift her up and fly away with her into the night. Pan wished that someone would lift _her_ up and fly away with_ her_ into the night. Sighing again, Pan clicked the stop button on her disk-man and put it away into her blue knapsack. Jumping off the tree, Pan walked towards the school to face the hell that was her life.

After getting her books from her locker, Pan walked to her next class, math. Finding that the teacher hadn't arrived yet, Pan sat down at her usual seat. She sat tense, because she knew that something bad was going to happen anytime now. Pan glanced around anxiously. Suddenly she felt a pressure at her throat. She turned to see a girl yank off the locket she wore on a necklace at her throat… Pan gasped. That locket meant something to her…she didn't know what…but it was important. 

"What's inside the locket Pan?" asked the girl, fiddling with it.

"NO!" shouted Pan, "Don't open it! I've never even opened it! Please! It's all I've got!"

"Really?" the girl pried the locket open, and Pan gasped. The girl frowned, "What the hell is this? I don't know why you keep this crap."

The girl threw it across the room, and Pan ran to pick it up. She had worn that locket for years, but never opened it, afraid of what she would find there. Now she stared in shock at what was inside it. A lock of purple hair beside the words "Love Forever". Pan looked at it in confusion, but then her mouth opened in shock as a memory came back to her.

__

*Flashback*

Trunks walked over to Pan and took her hands. They looked into each other's tearful eyes. No words were needed to be said, for they both felt the sorrow rip through their hearts. Trunks reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden locket on a chain. He placed it around Pan's neck and whispered, "I was going to give you that on your birthday, but now…Pan, you know how much I love you! Please, keep my memory somewhere in your heart. It'll take more than a needle and a world to separate us."

"Yes," whispered Pan, reaching up and brushing a strand of hair out of Trunks' eyes, "And promise me that wherever I am, we'll always find a way to each other?"

"Always," said Trunks, leaning forward till their lips met in a final sweet kiss. 

*End Flashback*

Pan looked up, and found that there were tears in her eyes. _He is real! Isn't he? That memory…was it a memory? Or have I watched too many episodes of Dragonball Z? I'm so confused! If he is real…then what am I doing here, while he is there_?

"Hey Pan!" called one of the boys, snatching the locket, "I wonder how much this thing is worth? I wonder if it's real gold? There's only one way to find out, we have to split it open! What do you want with it anyway? It's ugly. Can I have it?"

Pan felt the familiar energy creep up on her and she could feel the strength of her anger running through her body, she was about to lose control again. _That human better give me back my locket if he values his pathetic life_…

The boy snorted, "You know, I don't want this stupid thing no matter what it's worth…It's touched you. You're a freak. You'll never fit in, and everywhere you go people will hate you. Just so you know, Dragonball Z is just a stupid cartoon created by a man who wanted to make money. And Trunks isn't real! You're so delusional. You'll never be loved. Here's your stinkin' locket."

He dropped the locket in disgust and Pan grabbed it. A thought crossed her mind, _the human is right…no one will ever love me. Is he right about Trunks too? NO! He can't be right! He can't tell me that! Trunks is real…he IS real! Right? _She looked at the locket for a second, and felt an unfamiliar sensation. It wasn't the normal energy…it was a sort of weakness…sadness… Pan continued to stare at the locket until she saw a drop of water land on her hand. She looked at it in confusion for a second, then gasped. _It was a tear. _

Pan looked up at the class in shock as some more tears fell down her cheeks. The class started laughing, after teasing her for so long, she had finally broken. The children had won, and for once Pan didn't have the strength in her to fight back. Pan couldn't take it anymore. She ran out of the class and out of the school. She didn't care that her books were in there, once she had her blue knapsack of precious possessions and her locket.

After she had cleared the school yard, she kept running. She normally took the bus home, but now she just kept running. After over half-an-hour of running she found herself in front of her apartment. She rubbed off her tears and looked at the door sadly. As soon as she entered that place her ears would once more be filled with yells and criticism. Her mother just didn't understand her.

Pan hesitantly took the handle of the door, entered, and said, "Hi, mom."

Then she ran for her bedroom and closed the door. She sunk back against it weakly. _What's wrong with me? What has happened to my life? Why am I so confused? Nothing seems right! I don't fit in with the others…I'm so different. I don't have any friends. Even my mother… I feel like I don't know any of these people._

The locket…? What does it mean? What was that memory I had when I picked it up? Was it a memory? Why does everyone hate me? Why is it so impossible for me to find love? Like in that song…

Pan dug her disk-man out of her blue bag and on the same Savage Garden CD played a different track.

__

Am I all alone in the universe?

There's no love in these streets,

I have given mine away to a world that didn't want it anyway,

So this is my new freedom?

It's funny,

I don't remember being chained,

But nothing seems to make sense anymore.

Pan turned off her disk-man and put it back in her bag. _Nothing does make sense anymore. What do I do? I need to find my self…the true Pan. Cause there is something wrong, I can sense it. This isn't all there is to my life. There is something missing! I know there is! And maybe if I found what was missing…then I could make sense of my emotions?_

What do I do? Am I going crazy? I can't believe that I cried…I've never cried before in my whole life. I wonder if those idiot kids are satisfied now. They got what they wanted! I can't face them again. They will just hurt me more… why do I even have to live this hell? If I go back to that treatment…I don't know what I'll do. I can't go back…I can't stay…I have to move on. I have to search for the true meaning of my pathetic life. I know that this isn't where I belong…

I need to find my destiny, find out what love is, and how it feels to be loved. I have so many questions haunting my mind…I need to search to find the answers. It's settled then.

I'm running away.

Walking towards her dresser, Pan took off her blue knapsack of precious possessions and looked through it's contents. She decided that everything in there was a necessity. Her CD player, and all her Dragonball Z/GT items, her journal, her writing book, library card, some money, a hairbrush, bus tickets, a detailed map of the world, pencils, pens, scissors, glue, erasers, markers, matches, and a disk containing all the DBZ fanfiction that she had written.

Pan thought for a second…_What else do I need? Let's see…matches will make fire, I need some clothes…_ Pan went to her closet and grabbed a pair of jeans and a red T-shirt. She put them on her bed, intending to change into them later on before she left. She stuffed some clean underclothes into her knapsack, along with camouflage shorts and tank top, in case she needed to blend into her surroundings (or look cool). She also put a small bottle of sunscreen and insect repellent. Noticing that her bag was almost full, Pan realized she could only fit a few more things in it.

She put some socks just in case the ones she was wearing got wet. She also put a little blanket so that she could keep warm. Pan lifted her piggy bank of the shelf and broke it. Counting the money, she stuffed it all in a pocket of her bag. It was a little over $650 dollars, and she supposed that it could last for a while…but then when it ran out, how was she going to get food? _Weapons…_

Pan walked out of her room and into the kitchen intending to get a good knife, but her mother stopped her on the way.

"Hi, Pan!" she said looking at her, "Where are you going?"

"For a snack," said Pan, "I'm starved."

"Well, want me to make you something?" asked her mother.

"No thanks, I'll get it myself," said Pan, and she looked up at her mom, and gasped at what she saw…the face of a stranger.

"Okay, then Pan," said her mom, "I'm going to go to sleep early okay? I'm not feeling well. Don't stay up too late…and yes, you can go on the internet, but don't stay on for too long."

"Okay, mom," said Pan walking toward the kitchen. Any doubt that had previously been in her mind cleared up. She _was _running away. Her mind was made up. Grabbing a knife out of a drawer, Pan suddenly heard her stomach growl. So she sat down with a huge plate of food and devoured it within seconds. 

Picking up the knife once more, Pan also grabbed some chocolate…in case she needed energy. Stopping by the bathroom, she picked up her tooth brush, a tube of toothpaste, and a 2-in-one shampoo and conditioner.

Returning to her room and stuffing everything in her bag, Pan changed into her clothes that she had laid out. She took off her bandanna and put it in her pocket, because she would like it better if she mixed in with the crowd and didn't stand out. Looking in the mirror one last time, Pan smiled.

"I am leaving. I am running away," she whispered to her reflection. It all seemed so exiting and thrilling that Pan couldn't stop smiling. As she walked out of the apartment and closed the door behind her, she realized that she could never ever return. She smiled again.

Walking out of the apartment building, Pan strolled casually down to the bus stop, waited for a bus to come, and got on it. She paid her fare and sat down on a vacant seat. This bus was headed downtown…a populated area. From there she could go either south into the United States, west into Canada's Prairie Provinces, or east to eventually reach the Atlantic Ocean. No one would _ever_ be able to find the elusive teenage girl, but she only hoped that she could find what she was looking for.

Whoa! One long chapter! Anyway, how'd you like it? Please review and tell us if you think something doesn't make sense so that we can explain it. And also tell us what you think about the fic! Next chapter is Bra's turn to write, so just wait, she'll be finished it soon… (and even sooner if you review!)


	4. The East Beckons - Bra's Escape

To See Your Face Again4  
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or DBGT.  
A/N: Hey! 4th chapter is coming right up, and this is the chapter where things get fiery! Please review! We need at least 10 reviews to go on, so make sure you tell us what you think OK! Ask us questions if you're confused! On with the show! Oh, come on people! You STILL can't guess who we are?? It's not hard really, well I guess it is, but we both have character names in our original FF.net names, does that help?   
  
Bra looked out the quiet, pitch-black window, it was so silent outside! No Bakayaro people to make noise and tease her, no stupid idiotic cars zooming around.....just silence, and Bra liked it like this. She was on her way to New Mexico, and when she got there, she supposed she would go on her way somewhere East of California. She had thought about what her earthling mother would say if she turned around and went back, and she really didn't feel like getting a lecture, or being grounded. She was happy with what she had decided to do. Finally, she was taking action in her life and going on a search, for something so important, that even she wasn't sure what it was. She needed to go far away and look for that something, which she knew, was very, extremely serious in her life. This....this object would be the key to her destiny and freedom, she felt a powerful current in her blood that told her so. She smiled her bright, hardly seen smile. This feeling made her feel special, a certain feeling inside her bones had returned to her, although she didn't really remember ever having it, but it sure did feel nice. So here she was, a young girl with only a tiny bit of money, on her way to a place foreign to her. She felt brave and good doing this, and it made her have hope inside herself. She was so tired of the things in life that she decided to do something about it, and that made Bra feel excited, not at all scared. The courage and hope burning inside her heart and mind made all the scary thoughts disappear into oblivion. Bra took a deep breath and decided to catch a few hours of sleep. She quickly fell into a dreamy sleep.  
~*~Dream~*~  
"Pan! Let' go check out the sunset! It'll be so pretty, especially off of that mountain." Bra said, pointing towards a cliff to her west. Pan nodded her head and ran down beside Bra, they both chuckled. They had been friends forever, and they shared everything together. They knew both of each other's secrets and they didn't hide anything for one another. They seemed to share the same hopes and desires, and their friendship was very tight. Suddenly two familiar figures popped next to Bra and Pan and scared them. Bra turned around to look face to face with Goten. Trunks had grabbed Pan's waist and began tickling her. Bra looked deep into Goten's soft eyes and smiled.  
"Trunks! Stop!!! Trunks! I'm so going to kill you for....f-for this!!" Pan giggled hysterically, she had always been a bit tickling, but being tickled by Trunks always made her especially laugh. Bra chuckled and Goten started walking beside them.  
"We were going to check out the sunset over there, you guys want to come?" Bra asked Trunks and Goten, who nodded vigorously. Pan stared at Trunks' beautiful features and had to quickly look up, before he looked at her. Bra watched them and giggled, Goten chuckled while scratching his head. All four ran towards the cliff and climbed up it energetically. They reached the time and were right on time. The beautiful sun was painting magnificent colors of red, dark pink, orange, and yellow onto the light sky. Pan and Bra sighed at the beautiful sight that illuminated the sky. Goten and Trunks stood back to watch their babes look up into the sky. They sat down and continued to watch the amazing, natural sunset. Pan leaned back against Trunks and smiled. Bra sat on Goten's legs and he put his arms around her. The two sweet couples stared into each other's eyes until their breaths got caught in their throats.  
~*~ End of Dream~*~  
Bra's eyes jerked awake and she lifted her heavy eyelids. The sun was barely peeking over the edge of the horizon, setting a mysterious gray look over the sky. Bra sighed, every time she dreamed of DBZ, her heart swelled up and she felt at home with the characters, but now she was to pathetic Earth.  
"How come every time I'm having the totally best dream ever, I get pulled away from it?" Bra asked herself aloud. She shrugged the thoughts off; it was time to start her long journey......to where ever it was she was going to go. Bra shook her head and chuckled slightly, thinking her life over.  
"My life is so complicated! Why can't I just fly away to the wonderful DBZ life and forget about this whole place and its people, God gives me all the Kami4Saken problems!" She muttered while grabbing her stuff and jogging down the steps. At once she felt a chill take over her body and was a bit glad that she'd brought her extra thick jacket with her. 'Time for your adventure chic,' Bra thought and headed off towards the horizon, her bag and a picture of the Z Gang close at hand. Bra looked at the people and the streets and all of the stores, 'they're right, California is a preppy state. So clean......Ugh!' Bra thought and spat at the dusty roads. She walked down some street called "El UchiCuchi" *Playing!* and found herself facing a lone desert, with many cactus trees and wild animals roaming around. Bra took a deep breath and an abrupt scene flashed across her mind.  
~*~Scene~*~  
"No matter what you do KEEP THAT FAITH ALIVE!! Don't ever forget me Bra, I love you! I LOVE YOU! Remember, anything can happen, but deep down inside.....I-inside you're still a TRUE SAIYAN!!" Goten yelled and gave Bra one final, mesmerizing kiss, and made it feel almost fatal.  
~*~End~*~  
  
Bra gasped, and a small smile crept across her pointy face, and she looked at her tiny picture of the Z Gang on it. She stared at Goten's wide grin and took; yet another, deep breathes.  
"You're with me, aren't you Goten?" And as if she really didn't even need anyone to answer, Bra started ahead, full speed and strength gushing through her every cell. About two hours later, Bra was sweating and she had gone quite a distance, but at this rate, she'd be at her destiny when she was 80 years old. Bra looked up at the beating yellow sun and cursed at it, where's the moon when you need it damn it! Bra took out her canteen of cold water and drank a sip of it, the water rushing down her dry throat and making her sensational thirst cry out painfully. Bra held her stomach and groaned, but started walking, and this time a bit faster. About a half-an-hour passed and there was still no sign of a new state coming, or going, and Bra was now absolutely soaking with dripping wet sweat, she licked her dry lips and coughed. All she did was look at the small picture of the Z Gang and as if it was always there, a newly formed power surge filled her and she'd begin to walk again. Bra smiled, 'This isn't the most fun thing in the world, but if in the end it's going to make me happy, I know I can do it, and I swear on my own Kaa......*Bra looked at the picture in her hand and spotted a blue haired women happily smiling up at her.....Kaasan?  
"Kaasan? What? Why do I feel so closely bonded with Bulma? She's so much more than just a cartoon to me, and I believe I was just about to call her...... to call her Mother....wow this sun definitely is messing me up!!" Bra said to herself, yet a beautiful memory, that hid itself from Bra, made Bra feel happy when she looked at Bulma and said the word "Kaasan" it made her feel loved. It made her feel more like a daughter, and most importantly, it made her feel closer to the DBZ world. Bra thought of what she was going to say again........Hmmmmmmm?  
"Oh Yeah! I swear with my whole heart and soul on my K-K-Kaasan's life that I'll never give up on my hope, my faith, my life or my destiny. I know that to be complete that is the whole answer and I feel so close to it, yet so far, but with this *Bra stared at the picture adoringly* I'll surely make it, and that's a promise to myself." Bra said dignifiedly.  
"Somewhere in your body you've got a power like, our very own, Vegeta's!" Bra giggled to herself at the joke, which made her feel full of encouragement.  
  
HOOOONNNNNKKKK! HOOOOONNNNNNKKKKKK!! BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPP!! BEEP! BEEP!  
Bra turned around suddenly, a loud horn making her jump about ten feet high. She put a hand over her chest and looked at the crazy person who just happened to make her flinch a bit. A short, plump man stood with his old, dusty car and peered at Bra over his glasses. Bra flinched again, but this time it was because the man looked a lot like her history teacher. Bra peered right back into the bald man's eyes, but she was surprised when he smiled back.  
"Hi little girl, I'm sorry if I happened to frighten you. You seem a bit tensed and hot, so I thought that I'd ask you if you needed anything. You look very tired, and this is the desert, do you need a ride somewhere??" The man asked friendlily. Bra watched him intensely, thinking about the situation carefully. The thought of an air conditioner made her feel lured towards the car. The man chuckled when she didn't answer.  
"Don't worry, I swear I'm not a masked murderer or anything, I'm just curious if you want a ride or not, I mean this temperature kills and it could hurt you. I'll drop you off at the upcoming state, if that's what you want." He said nicely, and Bra felt her toughness give away. She grinned and walked up to the opposite door.  
"I'd love a ride, where are you going anyways?" Bra asked curiously.  
  
Bra smiled widely, she and the plump little guy, Herbert, where walking towards a tall home. She hadn't told Herbert her whole life story, but she had told him that she wanted to get out of the country, quickly. Herbert had been a bit confused with her decision, he thought she was a bit young to travel alone, but she told him it was to find her destiny. They had chatted a while, nothing serious and Herbert had happily agreed to take Bra to Mississippi, where she could rest at his sister's house. Bra was full of gratitude towards Herbert, and made a mental note not to destroy the Earth, if she ever had enough power to. 'Power??' She had thought, a bit dazed out, but soon Herbert had announced it was time to leave.  
"Thanks so much Herbert! You are a wonderful person, and I don't say that to many people." Bra said cheerfully. Herbert smiled and walked up to the doorstep, however Bra stood still. He turned around a bit confused and looked at her expectantly. Bra smiled warmly, making the dark street shine.  
"I really appreciate all of the thoughtful help, but if I stayed, it'd be too much. I hope you don't take it to your heart, it has absolutely nothing to do with you, and you're a really nice person Mr. Herbert, but I got to go." Bra said slowly, making Herbert frown slightly.  
"Oh come on Bra........" He started to say something but she interrupted.  
"Sorry, I slept on the way here, I'm all fresh now and I can make it to New Jersey, there, I'll try and get some sleep and figure out a way to get to the next place in my little story book life. I can handle all the traveling and I'll be fine, don't worry about me Herbert, I better be going now. Thanks, really." Bra said, Herbert walked back down the steps. He patted her shoulder and shrugged.  
"Are you sure? Well, if you are that insistent on leaving, I wont keep you up, but at least take some money from me, because it's the least I can do for a girl with a huge heart." Herbert said, Bra was about to say NO but he shook his head and put his hand over her mouth. He pulled out a $100 bill and $3 in cents.  
"This is emergency money that EVERY person should have, it'll help you, besides, and that's nothing to me! I just got paid!" He said, his eyes twinkling. Bra felt her face go serious and her smile dry up. She hugged Herbert tightly and thanked him for the hundredth time. He smiled and wished her luck, and in an instant she was gone.  
Bra had looked for a map store, found one, bought a map, and was now facing a very confusing freeway sign. She muttered something under her breath and then chuckled.  
"Duh." She thought. She looked at the zooming cars and shook her head, she headed to the brush that was always at the sides of every freeway. They had put it there to make it look pretty, but Bra used it as a camouflage. She quickly went to go to the restroom, and took out her water and washed her hands. She sat down behind a huge green bush and ate one of her pieces of sandwich.  
"Mmmmmm, so good!" Bra said and whipped her mouth, she stood up and again walked towards the end of the freeway. She was now in the heart of Mississippi and it had been about 3 1/2 days since she'd left the house. She was on her way to The East Side.  
A damp, moist breeze lifted Bra's hair and gently fluttered her bangs. She was asleep in an old cardboard box, about as big as a medium sized TV and it was silently hidden in a quiet alley. Bra had just about fell straight to sleep when she found the watertight box. Her jacket lay beneath her, and her extra shirt over her shivering arms. She was all the way in Virginia now, it had taken her a week and 4 days to get there. She had walked, jogged, ran most of the way, almost without stopping but for two nights she slept on the hard pavement. When she could no longer feel her muscles, she had decided to take a bus from the city she was in, all the way to West Virginia. When she had gotten there, she'd asked what the easiest way to get to New York was, and a tall husky man had given her an address from Virginia and he'd told her he had a friend who could get her on a train to New York for 50% off if she mentioned his name. It had taken Bra about 3 1/2 days to find the small, musty building, but she had found it with little ease and bought a train ticket for New York. She had left Mississippi with $125.00 and she had $73.25 left. Bra moved in the cardboard box, even though her legs were practically purple from all of the exercise and she was exhausted, she found the will power to survive and with the thoughts of a saiyan warrior, she had made it thus far. Bra didn't exactly know where all of her momentum cam from, or how she got so much energy, except that whenever she decided to take a short break and check out some Dragon Ball Z stuff on the internet, she always had a tugging feeling at the back of her mind that made her get up and start her journey again. She always felt the need to be held by Goten or be criticized by Trunks, and all the dreams she had had in the past week made her want to scream out, "Tousan! Help me!!" She had always thought of DBGT & DBZ as her life and it was. The characters were her closest friends and family, she knew her biggest dream some day was to become a member of the Briefs household, then marry Goten, who to her wasn't even a cartoon. Bra knew her dreams were far away and she'd have to go way out to seek her destiny and loved one's but a desiring hope inside her burned off more and more power for her to use on her journey, and she wasn't about to give up without Goten.  
~*~Flash Back~*~  
"Goten, do you really love me? I thought I was just a little sister to you.......I just love you so much Goten, I wont be able to live without you!" Bra whispered slowly, feeling a teardrop watering her aqua eyes *actually cerulean* Goten looked down at Bra and put his soft hands on her face, and she felt the love tenderly zap her insides. They stared at each other and slowly leaned forward to finally kiss.  
"I've always loved you Bra, you're my angel Bra, forever." Goten whispered back and they almost met in a passionate kiss........before........  
"Yoo-Hoo! Uncle Goten and Bra sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes tiny Vegeta in a baby carriage!" Pan ran around the two crazy lovers and screamed, before Trunks grabbed her waist and smirked.  
"Pan-Chan, didn't you notice they could say the same exact thing to us?" He asked her, sniffing her sweet hair, Pan sweat dropped.  
"Trunks! You totally messed up my enthusiasm! I wanted to annoy my dearest B-Chan!" Pan giggled as Trunks kissed her lightly and she pecked him on the check quickly also. Pan had waited almost her whole young life to finally be able to be with Trunks, and Trunks had lovingly asked Pan out the first chance he had gotten. They made the sweetest pairing, and they were both so close to Bra and Goten. Bra kissed Goten's cheek lightly before running after Pan, who had flew past the two and out the door. Bra pounced on Pan and practically chocked her before the sprinklers came on and they both almost died of laughter. Goten and Trunks watched their mates with love and adoring eyes, they went outside and grabbed the girls.  
"Let's go for a double-date!!" Trunks yelled and the two couples flew away into the evening sky.  
~*~End of Flash Back~*~  
Bra stirred awake, feeling the breeze hit her face almost immediately. She opened her eyes and shook herself out of the dream. This time though, Bra had a confused look on her face.  
"I swear that was the most realistic thing ever, I cant have feelings for those people if they don't mean anything to me, I have to have some kind of connection to them, and I've got to find that out. For some reason, that dream makes my destiny feel closer, and my heart race faster." Bra thought, it was nothing surprising to her that she'd been dreaming about Pan, Trunks, Goten and herself, she felt happiest when thinking of them. Bra sat up in her box uncomfortably and opened her backpack. She looked through her things and sighed contently.  
She had: Two clean pairs of clothes, one extra water jug, with another half full, she had some food, that would probably last till New York. He could buy some more there, she had her tiny laptop computer, and some things of DBZ, which she took out. She yawned and stared at the figures and stickers deeply, 'they mean something to me, not just me, but also my body and my blood, and my heart, and.......' Bra stopped, she knew she didn't have to think any further, the answer to it all was just one or two weeks away, and she could live with that. She ate an apple and a Caprison, something she had grabbed from a close Liquor Store. She gulped it down and licked her lips again, she packed up her stuff and now sat quietly in the box, she thought of something to do and silently carved her name into the far side of the box. The signature read: BraVegetaBriefsSon in bold deep letters. Bra chuckled, looking at the signature that she and an old friend had made up together, it had suited her perfectly, and that was her new identity.  
"Time to go out there and get on that train Bra," Bra said aloud and climbed out of the box, when she got out she felt a sudden streak of wind hit her and that's when she realized how warm it had been in the box. She put her jacket on tightly and set off towards the train station, which was two blocks away. Bra seemed to get there within 2 or 3 minutes and she hadn't even broken a sweat.  
"I guess I'm used to all this exercise!" Bra said aloud, she looked at the sign and it had all kinds of different train sections, she found the one that read New York and walked towards Platform 7. The train was due in 30 minutes and it was still kind of dark outside, so she decided to just relax and sit, since she hadn't really been doing any of that lately. Before Bra even knew it, the loud speaker had clicked on and a crackly voice said, "If you're going to get on the train for New York, go to Platform 7 and get ready to board the train. Click." Bra got up, dusted off her clothes, brushed her hair out of her face and waited for the bus patiently. She bit her lip and watched as the swift, black train flew up to her and made all kinds of hidden dust spray into her face.  
"Cough. Cough. Wow, nice train." Bra said slowly and climbed into the train as the doors slid open. She found it wonderfully refreshing to be in an air-conditioned room with comfortable seats and free food, Bra smiled wickedly, 'nice' she thought sweetly. She was the only passenger in that compartment of the train, which was absolutely fine with Bra, seeing how she could eat more food. Almost immediately after the train started to quickly move, Bra got used to the atmosphere and grabbed some grapes and ate them hungrily. By the time they were half way there and the train had stopped to get some gas, Bra was stuffed and was now watching some TV comfortably. A stewardess came into the room and asked to see her ticket, which she marked off and went down to the next compartment. Bra could feel her heavy eyelids fight to stay open, so she switched off the TV, went to a little dresser that was located just outside the door, grabbed a spare pillow and quickly feel asleep.  
~*~  
Screaming. Isolation. Space Pod. Goten. Family? Thoughts kept running through the passed out Bra's mind, as her Space Pod quickly left the planet and was quietly streaming through the galaxy. Bra could merely think straight, seeing how she had just been injected with a syringe and she couldn't remember hardly anything at all. Bra's head felt so light, and her body felt useless, images of a spiky haired young man kept flying back into her mind, and she kept hearing screams and power rages. 'What's going on?' Her mind asked, yet she was totally blacked out......so there really wasn't anyone to ask.  
~*~  
Bra snapped awake as somebody nicely nudged her shoulder, Bra jumped up, and the stewardess stepped back. Bra looked at her with a weird look, then smile apologetically.  
"Sorry, I was dreaming and......you kinda surprised me." Bra said slowly pulling her hair back up into a ponytail and whipping her clothes and face.  
"It's okay honey, I get that surprise from everyone. The train has stopped, we're in New York City, and it's 7:30 am which means TRAFFIC." The lady said, then moved on towards the next door, with the same smile. Bra stretched out her arms and for the first time heard the noises of N.Y. It was beyond all noises she had ever heard, and it made her ears thump. She had always had sensitive ears, Bra rubbed her ears and moaned slightly. She looked into the mirror and changed her clothes, she had been given thirty minutes time to get ready and get off the train, so she decided to take a 5-minute shower, brush her hair, and eat more free food, which she delightfully packed into her backpack. Gradually time came close and Bra stepped off the train, into the world of the public. Thousands of humans, small, tall, fat, skinny, dark, light all seemed to walk in a circle, talking, running or simply chilling. Bra took a deep breath and started walking, she didn't know how or why, but in 24 hours, she wanted to be off the whole continent for good. Bra looked around crazily and whispered for the saiyans of DBZ/GT to help her and guide her in the wild world of earthlings, she silently let her heart guide her, in the direction, EAST?  
2 hours. 2 hours in this jam-packed city and I have no idea where to go or what to do. All I know is that I have to keep my eyes open at all times. I have to keep my faith alive, even if this stupid sun is giving me a total sunbath and I'm burning close to a crisp. I've got to get out of this traffic if it's the last thing I ever do! I need to get somewhere that's quiet and there's no disturbance anywhere.  
Bra smiled intelligently as she saw a small shop that read: Tours and Trips to the most popular mountain ranges here in the East! Bra jumped over a small construction sign and bumped into thousands of people before she was right in front of the shop. She grabbed the door and ran inside, instantly the odd odor hit her nose and she practically ran back outside. She held her nose as an excited man came up to her.  
"Are you interested in going on a mountain tour?" He asked smugly, Bra coughed.  
"Can you get me to a mountain and leave me there by myself?" She asked straight out, he eyed her in a confused manner but shrugged and nodded.  
"Yes, of course. But wouldn't you be more interested in a packet where there's free food.........."  
Bra interrupted the man's long speech and held out her hand.  
"I need to get to a mountain where it's quiet and I don't need all this extra pampering, I can take care of myself." Bra said straight forwardly, the man just nodded and took her to a small desk. He asked her some information, which she made up and then told her the price. He'd said it would be $47.00 to get to the mountain, and since she didn't want any "pampering" they'd leave her there and come back. Bra thought about it and agreed. She gave him the money and he told her that a small plane would be leaving from the tiny airport three miles away, and it'd be best for her to catch a ride there. Bra nodded and took her ticket she took a deep breath.  
"There's all my money.......gone.......... just because I have sensitive ears......." She thought depressed, but quickly shook herself out of it. I didn't come here to groan and moan, I could've done that at home too, I came here to do something, and maybe this is going to get me there.  
Bra walked down to the busy street and looked around her, millions of people were also standing at the tip of the street, and had their hands out. She caught the clue and stuck her hand out quickly, waving it around wildly. Suddenly a bright yellow taxi came up and stopped in front of her. Bra stared at the taxi for a second then jumped in.  
"Where to Miss?" The taxi driver asked, he had a gray beard and a slightly tilted black cap on.  
"Uh.....the C-C-Cinder Airport." She mumbled.  
"Gotchya." The taxi driver zoomed into the traffic and they were off, zillions of other cars honking and beeping all around their small car. Bra clamped her hand over her ears and within 5 minutes they were closing in on the airport entrance. Bra unclamped her ears and moved to open the door, she crawled out and looked at the expecting taxi driver. She noticed his twinkling gray eyes and smiled.  
"That would have been $10.75 since it's a public place an' all, but you seem young and I told expect ya' to have that much on you, so I'll take $5.45 and be on my way." He said politely, Bra nodded and gave him the necessary money. He drove off again, into the dusk. Bra looked up at the large sign and walked into the small, unnoticeable room. The woman behind the counter looked tired and worn out, but she still gave Bra a weak smile.  
"Hello, how may I help you?" The woman said robotically. Bra gave the lady her ticket.  
"I need to know where to board the one way plane to those mountains." Bra pointed out, the woman nodded.  
"Very beautiful mountains......good choice. The plane is due in about 15 minutes, you should go out that door and to your left where you are to find two different doors, take the bright green one and you should end up face to face with a waiting room. Once you're there, all you have to do is wait for a gentlemen to call you from the speakers and you'll be off within a couple of minutes or so." She said. Bra nodded and walked pass the door and found her way, quietly, to the waiting room. There was a mystical orange-ish look to the small, comfy room. There wasn't anyone else waiting there, so Bra decided to flop onto the small couch and she flicked on the TV. Thank God for her, the TV had cable and it was just about time for DBZ. Bra sat up excitedly as she flicked the channels to Cartoon Network.  
"Yes! I get to watch DBZ!" Bra said, but then her face went blank as the episodes name came across the screen.  
"DENDE'S DRAGON! I've seen this one so many times I can practically say all the lines! Man.....rerun after rerun after rerun.....oh well, at least I get to see my buddies and "family." Bra said contently as she fell peacefully into the world of Dragon Ball Z.  
  
"Miss? Miss? Cough....Excuse me Miss?" A young man said as Bra snapped out of the Dragon Ball Z episode. Bra looked at him dreamily and shook her head.  
"Oh....uh sorry." She said simply, he shrugged and held out his hand.  
"This way to the plane, please." Bra walked next to him without taking his hand or anything and he led the way towards a medium sized plane, it looked like a bush plane, but Bra wasn't an expert on planes, so she just shrugged it off. The pilot and co-pilot of the plane smiled at her and she just boarded the plane, they told her to buckle up, and showed her the emergency stuff. Bra nodded silently through the whole session and they took off.  
"Air. This is nice, it's definitely better than being on the Kami4Saken ground, that's for sure. This is so beautiful." Bra thought. She was deeply impressed by the sky and flying and not having to walk. She could see billions and trillions of small specks on the ground and it seemed so unimportant to her. Within moments they had reached a type of huge countryside, and then, before Bra knew it they almost reached the high, dark mountains. Bra stared out at the blackish mountains and they seemed so sad to her. She felt a couple of bumps and twists as the plane got ready for landing. Bra closed her eyes and thought of Vegeta. Then.....before Bra knew it.....The pilot was telling her to unbuckle her belt. Bra smiled and practically flew out of the plane itself. The pilot gave her a map and the time they would be returning to this exact same place.  
"Okay, I get it, I understand. I'll see you guys." She said as she watched them lift off, leaving a swirl behind them.  
"Okay......so where do I go now?" Bra asked herself, she looked all around and thought she saw something glimmering at the top of the left hand cliff. She immediately felt her heart tug towards the shining object and she quickly started up the cliff. Bra grabbed on to some rocks and slit her foot into the dented places, managing to pull herself up, in a climbing manner. Bra's shoe struck into the cliff's edge as she put all her efforts into climbing higher and higher up the steep cliff.  
"Huhhhh.....uhhhh...this is...this is not that easy....but challenging and I love challenges." Bra whispered slowly to herself. She finally pulled herself up, after what had seemed like a millions hours. Bra sat down and rubbed her hands together. She took a deep breath and then took out her water jug to drink some. She gulped it down and then abruptly turned around, it felt as if someone was watching her or something. Bra shook her shoulders loose, feeling them tighten tensely. She stood up and a ray of sunlight flickered off of a sparkling light orange rock. She felt her curiosity peek over herself, so she went up the small, hidden trail. Bra felt her leg muscles tighten and she stretched out, trying to avoid from slipping. She grabbed some dead logs and hopped over stray rocks. She kept her mind focused on the glittery object and her heart determined. Bra jumped over the last bit of dead logs and rocks and bent down. Her eyes grew wide as she saw what the "rock" was. The sparkling object looked amazingly like a dragon ball, except it had a different sign on it. Bra stared at it mysteriously as she felt a gasp shoot out of her open mouth. She gulped excitedly as she realized........  
"I KNEW IT!! I knew my destiny had to do with Dragon Ball Z or at....at least Dragon Balls!! This just has to be some kind of key to it all, it's amazing! Yes!!!!!!" Bra picked up the cloudy object and stared at it unrealistically. She just stood there looking at it unbelievably. It had a symbol on it that looked like a flying star or something. Bra felt her mind racing and her heart thump wildly, somewhere in her body a voice shouted, "GO farther!" Bra put the object safely away in her backpack and went ahead excitedly. But her mind wasn't even focusing all the way on what she was doing, it kept going back to the fact that she had a DRAGON BALL IN HER BACKPACK AND SHE WAS GOING TO MEET HER FAITH SOON!! YAY!!! Her brain shouted, Bra smiled, without noticing she did.  
"Yes! See Bra, you did the right thing, you're going to get to see all of your real family and even be held tenderly by Goten himself! I was sick of waiting and now I've realized taking action is the best thing to do! I am so excited! Yes!!" Bra's thought magically. Bra felt her heart rise into a new level of hope and pride.  
"Myself is coming back to normal, finally, I can feel it...........AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Bra screamed as she felt her foot slip lightly off of a branch. Without realizing it, she had climbed all the way up into a forest, mountainous type of place. Bra felt her brain go dead and her heart stop. Falling. Now she felt herself grasp desperately for something to keep her balance on. She couldn't see anymore. She didn't know where to place her feet anymore and she couldn't keep track of all the things going on. 'You're not going to make it......you need to survive......' Bra felt her feet dangling dangerously off of the highest cliff and she screamed until her lungs hurt. Bra held on for her final moment of hope until........................  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Bra felt herself fall, fall into a pitch of nothingness, and she didn't know if she'd survive. Bra lost consciousness, and all her heart thought was......."You where so close......so close." All Bra remembered now was a small figure and....................  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**Time for Pan's side of the story!!~~**~~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**  
A/N: Hey, Bra here and I just wanted to say I am so sorry for the wait. Pan, my Internet is so messed up and I have no way to post this or anything! Please understand, I'll try desperately to post this chapter! I even tried making it longer! Hey everyone we need nice, good reviews ok! Please! Be nice to my friend Pan, who is going to start this next brilliant chapter! Oh, what did you think of the evil cliffhanger? Get it......cliffhanger?? Bwwuuaahhhhahaaahhaaaahhaaaa! *laughs evilly* 


	5. The Odyssey Begins - Pan's Escape

To See Your Face Again ch.5

Hello everybody! Thanks for the reviews! Have you figured out who we are yet? Hint: I love my jeans, Bra loves her gowns, in both of our pen names you will find common nouns! o.O Know yet? If you do, keep your mouth shut and send an email to moonlight_saiyan@hotmail.com. We don't own DBZ, and I don't own anything else I decide to mention that isn't mine… Geez, I hate disclaimers. Anyways, please sit down! Oh, you already are? Well, then, make your self comfortable. Would you like a cup of coffee? ::a hand pops out of your computer screen offering you a cup of coffee:: Cozy? Good. Sit back, relax, and enjoy! 

(Pan's chapter)

__

I'm such an adrenaline junkie. I've really gone and done it this time! Damn it, look at me. I'm smiling my ass off… but I really can't help it! It's such a wonderful feeling… to be free… the question is, am I running away from home, or trying to find my home? Oooh, here's my stop! 

Getting off the bus, Pan looked up to the right. The castle…Casa Loma… could be seen just down the street. She had gone there on a school trip once… turning she smiled. Before her stood Dupont station. Pan pushed her way through the crowd, and headed down to the subway platform, by means of going down the up escalator. The walls of Dupont Station were orange… they matched her bandanna. (Which she wasn't wearing so that she could blend into the crowd.) She heard the roar of the Southbound train in the distance, long before anyone else did. It sped through the tunnel, blasting her with a familiar, much welcomed gust of wind. The doors slid open and the subway made it's little ding-dong-ding. Pan went through the doors and looked around. The subway was awfully empty. She didn't sit though. She loved to test her balance against the rocking of TTC vehicles. 

She didn't really know what TTC stood for, but it was on all the buses and subways. She supposed it was something like Toronto Transit and Communications. It was a joke with the kids at her school, whenever the bus would take to long to come, that TTC actually meant Take The Car. Pan looked up at the advertisements around the subway.

__

The same old thing. All the time. I can't wait to see a new city! Or maybe cities aren't my thing… I gotta check out the suburbs… well, whatever I do, I sure know I'm in for a change of scenery! I'm going to the USA, obviously. I mean… I could go west... but… the prairie provinces just don't appeal to me. I'm a city girl. I know that there are tons of cities in the Canadian prairies, but… well, I just don't feel like going there! I'm going to America… and I know just the way to get there…

Looking around, Pan noticed one last advertisement. A sarcastic remark about how expensive everything was in the US. _Oh Kami! If I was a Anime character, this is where the sweatdrop would go. _Pan looked around, and finding her section of the subway practically empty, she took out her money._ This is all the money I have in the world. I wonder how long it will last? I worked hard for this. "And first place in the photography contest goes to… Pan! A prize of $90!" "The winner of the writing competition… Pan! A prize of $50!" "Public speaking!" "Dramatic Arts!" _

Not to mention practically starving myself of lunch a few days per week so that I could save up a little cash. I guess that deep down I knew I would be needing this. $650… what's that in American? Well depending on the current exchange rate, I'm guessing about 4 hundred something. If it's less, then I'm SO screwed. 

A voice came over the loudspeaker. Union Station. _At last! Union Station… This is the station closest to America. Lake Ontario is directly south. _

The subway pulled into the station and Pan got off. She ran up the down escalator (habit) and looked around. There were little subway shops all over. Even a Japan Camera. She looked over to the left. That way led to the sky walk, which would take you to the CN Tower. She remembered that the entrance to the GO trains was on the way to the sky walk. Pan walked through the swarm of people that flocked downtown for business, for tourism, and of course the inexplicable attraction of downtown shopping. 

Noticing a bunch of chairs in the middle of a mall-like building, Pan, although puzzled, noticed a similarity to an airport waiting room. She walked over to a chair and sat on it, acting like she knew what she was doing. She noticed a giant screen up on the wall. It kept track of the GO Trains status. Just like an airport. Delayed, Arrived, Departed… She looked over the destinations. She wanted to go as far south as possible… 

The southernmost location on the screen was New York city… but then another name caught her eye. Niagara Falls. She wouldn't mind seeing the falls one last time. Then she could walk over the Rainbow Bridge to Buffalo. It was the long way, she knew, but it was an adventure, and for once, she could do what she wanted to do. So I'm going to Niagara Falls. 

__

But how the hell do I get a ticket?

"Where are you going to?" 

Pan looked to the source of the voice and found a boy, taller than her, but most likely near to her age, seated beside her. 

"I'm going to Niagara Falls. What about you?"

The boy looked up at the board for a second, and whispered, "I don't know."

"What?" asked Pan, also in a whisper, "What do you mean?"

"I'm running away," he mumbled in voice so low that is was not humanly audible.

Pan heard his words, and smiled, "Me too."

"Can I come with you? Please…" the boy looked scared. Pan didn't want anyone tagging along with her. She didn't want to play baby-sitter to some kid who obviously didn't know his way around… but it would be nice to have company on the train. Traveling alone was too suspicious.

"I guess… but don't bug me, and do what I say."

He was about to object, but he sighed, realizing that he needed her help and nodded, "How do we get tickets?" 

"By looking and listening carefully," Pan immediately began scanning the area with her sharp eyes.

"Huh? What do you…"

"Shut up!" Pan heard a voice in the distance.

__

"Those machines are so friggin crappy! They took forever to give me my ticket. Any longer and I woulda missed the train. Leave it up to technology to screw things up."

Pan smiled, and looked at the boy, "Did you hear that? Machines. Let's go find them. The Niagara train leaves in ten minutes."

She got up and walked fast, but inconspicuously around the area. She noticed stairs. Running down them, three at a time, she was greeted by little red machines. Yes! She thought, triumphantly. She quickly touched the screen and went through the transaction. _$50!!!!_ Fine. If it'll get me there. She let her bill slip reluctantly through her fingers and into the machine. A ticket popped out and she grabbed it. Turning around, she nearly crashed into the boy. 

"What are you waiting for! Buy your damn ticket and let's get out of here!" She looked at his face… she knew that look… the classic puppy dog eyes gimme-cash look, "No…NO!!"

"But…" he gestured to her wad of cash, "I really need to get out of Toronto!!! And…and… I don't have any money…"

"NO WAY KID! Go home to your parents. You aren't fit to survive out here. You shoulda stolen money. First rule of the game… do whatever it takes to survive. I earned this money. I'm not wasting it on some weakling like you. They'll probably find you and send you home right after you get to Niagara. Leave me alone!"

She shoved him out of her way and walked past him.

"PLEASE!" He shouted.

She stopped and clenched her fist. Turning she glared at the boy, "If I pay for your ticket, what can you do for me?"

He smiled, "I can do a lot for you. By the time we get to Niagara Falls it will be night. Where do you plan on sleeping?"

Pan frowned, "Up a tall tree, thank you very much."

"Well…You know those hotels that overlook the falls?"

"Yes… those expensive hotels. I'm listening."

"I can get you into one of those. If you don't mind sharing a room with me…"

"A bedroom?!"

"No, of course not! There's separate bedrooms…"

"Good. How do you plan paying for this? Those hotels are expensive," Pan knew that there was only a few minutes till the train departed. She would run if his proposition didn't interest her.

"I won a geography competition," he shrugged, "Free admittance into any one of the world's top hotels for one night every year. No cash value… and it doesn't have my name on it, so they won't be able to track me…"

Pan thought about it, "I'd much rather sleep up a tree…"

"The view's breathtaking. Big Screen TV. Internet access. Large Bedrooms. Large bathrooms and hot tubs. Worth more than $50."

Pan hesitated, "I don't know…"

"They serve great food."

"I don't think… Hey, wait a sec, did you say food?"

* * *

__

I cannot believe I bought him a ticket. Pan sat across from the boy on the train, headed to Niagara Falls. She had long ago said goodbye once and for all to Toronto. It had been an interesting city… She had looked at the CN tower and remembered how from one side, near the very top, you could see nothing but city, sky scrapers and businesses… but a short walk around and there's nothing but water, and the beautiful Toronto Islands. Toronto was great… but not her home any longer! She was finally moving on… and she loved it!

She looked at the boy across from her. They had made small talk, and she had found out why he was running away. _Abusive parents. How predictable._ His name was Elilan. It meant mouse in his language… his parents had thought he looked like a mouse as a baby. _What a sick sense of humor some parents have. At least his name doesn't mean bread… or the God of Sheep, like mine does._

Pan had spent $100 already… She was beginning to worry. _$550… I wonder what that is in American? Oh Dende, I'm afraid to find out. I should just try not to think about it. How long can I live on that? With my appetite… _She took in a deep breath. 

"What's wrong, Pan?"

She looked up at him, "I got money problems."

"How long do you plan on staying away from home?"

"I have no home. I'm going to travel the world."

"Oh… well, get some sleep, that way you can leave early tomorrow."

"I'm not sleepy."

"I got an idea," He grinned and signaled over a stewardess, "Two glasses of Bacardi, please."

"Coming up right away, sir!"

Pan was shocked, "She didn't even ask for your ID!"

"I acted like I knew what I was doing. And besides, I wouldn't be traveling alone with a girl if I wasn't 18, now would I?"

"Probably not. You think that stuff will make me sleepy?"

"Maybe. It always knocks me out."

The stewardess arrived with the drinks and Pan took a sip… surprisingly… she liked it! (I tasted this and it's SO good! If you just add a little to milk… YUM! But…uh… don't. It's bad for you.)

She gulped down her glass and sighed, "That's the first glass of alcohol I've ever had. It's good."

He looked at her strangely, "I can't gulp it like that and I'm a boy."

She shrugged, "I got a good stomach."

"You want some more?" he asked.

"No, thanks… Wow! We're almost there!" 

He looked out the window of the train and saw Skylon Tower (this revolving restaurant thing by Niagara Falls). He smiled, "Tomorrow morning you're leaving Canada, right?"

"Yes," she said, "And you're going to continue to the east coast, right?"

He nodded, "I'll probably end up in England. I'll get across the Atlantic somehow."

She laughed, "Probably by conning some idiot into paying your fare, just like you did to me."

"Hey, you're getting something out of the deal too!"

"I know, I know…"

A voice came on the speaker, "Now approaching Niagara Falls."

Pan and Elilan left the train and they walked towards a very prestigious looking hotel. He used his hotel pass to check them in. When they arrived at their hotel room, Pan realized that it was like a huge apartment. She dumped her bag into the bedroom that she claimed as her own, and headed for the balcony. She checked out the view, and was glad that she had taken Elilan up on his offer. The view was great. The Falls were being lit up, and they were really beautiful. They flashed in a rainbow assortment of colours. 

A section flashed from blue to pink and Pan cringed, "Isn't there enough of that colour in the world?" 

"Too much of it if you ask me," said Elilan leaning on the rail beside her. She didn't look at him, but kept her eyes on Niagara Falls. 

"Before I leave tomorrow, I'm taking a ride on the Maid of the Mist. Either that or the Journey Behind the Falls. I sense something down there…"

"Sense something? Well… trust your instinct I guess. There isn't much else out there you can trust."

"There isn't anything else out there I can trust."

"Of course there is, Pan," the boy seemed wise for a moment, "There's some people out there. You just haven't found them yet."

She looked at him, and almost believed him. There was a moment's silence but then her watch let out a shrill beep.

"What the heck is that?!" he said in alarm. 

"Relax! It's my Dragonball Z alert. It's 8:00. Come inside and watch DBZ with me?" Pan's face lit up and Elilan couldn't refuse if he had tried… but why would he want to try anyways? They went inside to watch DBZ. Elilan wasn't as obsessed as Pan, but he couldn't deny a slight infatuation with the show. 

"NOOOOO!!!!!!" The both screamed, "STOP WHIPPING GOHAN MR. SHOE!!!!"

"ONORE! BAKAYAROU!KUTABACCHIMAE!" growled Pan about to beat up on the TV, "LEAVE HIM ALONE BEFORE I…"

"Relax Pan, it's getting better!" 

"WHOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!" they both yelled, "GO CHI-CHI! KILL MR. SHOE!!!! KILL HIM KILL HIM!!!"

They sat enraptured by the rerun.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" they both laughed like crazy.

"BRING ME A DRYING CLOTH SLAVE WOMAN!" Pan imitated in a rough manly voice, which wasn't too difficult for her.

"MY NAME IS BULMA! GET IT YOURSELF YOU JERK!" imitated Elilan in a high-pitched squeak. They both laughed and laughed.

"I AM A WARRIOR!" imitated Pan, "NOT A FLOWER! THE COLOUR PINK IS A WOMAN'S COLOUR!"

"BUT VEGETA! IT'S IN FASHION!" 

The "pink shirt" episode never failed to crack anyone up, no matter how many times they've seen it. 

When the show ended, Pan reluctantly turned off the TV. She sat down back beside Elilan.

"What do we have to do now?" she asked.

"Plan our journeys. We have to be careful not to get caught by the police."

Pan stood up with a look on her face, that even after knowing her for only a few hours, Elilan could tell was evil.

"What are you going to do now, and is it legal?"

"Of course it isn't legal!" she smiled, "How good are you with computers, Elilan?"

"Well…Saying that I was an expert would be a BIG understatement," he bragged.

"Well," said Pan, plotting, "We're sure to be discovered missing by now! So… let's… make our chances of not being caught by the police a little better."

"How?" he asked.

She went over to the hotel computer and her fingers flew over the keyboard, and soon enough the website on the screen belonged to the OPP.

"You AREN'T!!!" he said, realizing what she was doing, "That site is so heavily encrypted that it isn't even funny! You're hacking into the police database! Pan stop! This could get you into serious… hey….there's my profile. Missing… being searched for! FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT!!!!"

"Hold your horses!" she said smiling, "I'm not only changing your profile, but your physical description and everything. Look at that. Now they'll never find you, because they think you've gone to the prairies."

"What about you?" he asked.

"Oh…here I am! Hey, I like this, and hate to change it… Look at what it says! Intelligent and capable of anything. Brunette with a tall slim, but athletic and somewhat muscular build. Expert martial artist. Bad temper. Most likely to go to America!"

"They've figured you out!" cried Elilan.

"Have they?" asked Pan smiling, and typing, "Chunky blonde with missing teeth, silver nose ring and identifying tattoo of a flower on her shoulder. Loves the colour pink and is most likely to go to the prairie provinces. Very sensitive and stupid and not at all dangerous." Elilan was laughing by the time she had finished. 

"They'll never find us now, Pan! They'll go looking for us in the prairies, and we'll both be long gone our separate ways. That was amazing. I could never hack like that!" he smiled, "But I can teach you to pickpocket your way to richness!"

She nodded, "And then we can plan our journeys."

"Well, mine is a journey," he said, "Yours is more important. Call it something different."

"I know exactly what to call it," Pan said, "My odyssey." 

He smiled, "That's perfect! My journey and your odyssey."

"Shall we plan?"

"Yes. We shall plan like criminal masterminds! One of which has just hacked into the police database. Pan, you rock!"

* * *

__

"Pan-chan…"

"Huh? Trunks! What are you doing here! Tell me Trunks, tell me now! Are you real or not! I'm tired of you people showing up in my dreams only to mysteriously disappear and leave me feeling like I'm crazy! Tell me, damn you! Are you real or not!"

"Pan-chan…"

"Trunks! Oh Dende, I don't care if you're real of not… just please…Trunks! Don't go!" The image of Trunks began to blur and she ran at it, grasping for it, trying to put her arms around it, "Trunks… stay! Stay with me!"

His image became suddenly solid, so real… She felt his body materialize beneath her hands, and hugged him as tightly as she could so that he could not leave her the way her always did in dreams. She placed her head on his chest, looking, searching for conformation that this man of her dreams was real. 

A steady heartbeat stirred her deepest hopes, and the sound of his breathing awakened her senses. She could smell him, feel him, hear him…So real, so real! 

"Don't leave… Trunks…"

"Pan-chan…"

"Is that all you're gonna say! Pan-chan, Pan-chan! Trunks, talk to me! Why are you here?"

"I miss you…"

"I miss you too… but I'm confused. How can I miss you… how can you miss me, when we've never known each other?"

"I've known you forever…"

"Forever? But.."

"Shhh…" He looked into her eyes, "Please remember… go deep into your heart… try to remember… you can't forget…:

"What? I can't forget what, Trunks?"

"You can't forget how much I love you, Pan-chan…"

She stared into his eyes, mesmerized by the intensity of their colour. Then they began to dim… she gasped as his image began to fade, but not before his lips descended on hers, in a kiss that could only be kissed in dreams… but this dream was so real that she could taste him. And then he pulled away, and began to fade.

"No! Trunks…Please don't leave me here alone again!"

"Pan, you're never alone. I'm always with you. Just follow your heart. That's where I will be… to guide and protect you."

"Guide maybe, but I don't need protection, I can take care of myself… Trunks! COME BACK!! You can protect me if you want! COME BACK! Trunks!" She threw herself at the fading image, and found herself on the ground, grasping at swirls of coloured air.

He's gone… again… was he ever really here? Why is this all so confusing… 

"Panny!" At the sound of the familiar voice a small smile slowly replaced the sadness painted all over her face, and a sort of brotherly love washed over that she couldn't explain.

She got up off the floor and turned around, "Goten." 

He chuckled, "No hug for me?"

She ran up to him and threw her arms around him, squeezing the life out of him.

"Pan… I can't breathe…"

"Hey, you asked for a hug!" she smiled.

"I guess some thing never change, right mei?"

Mei… it brought back a few memories. Goten's special name for her, meaning niece. 

"I miss you kiddo. It's been kinda dull without you to bug me."

"I miss you more, ojisan. Without you I've got no one to bug."

"Are you going to find your way back home to us, Panny?"

"I'm trying," she said biting her lip, "I just wish it wasn't all so confusing…"

"Hey," he said, punching her shoulder playfully, "Don't give up, OK? I want you to come home as soon as you can. It just ain't the same without you. Well… gotta run. The refrigerator beckons in the distance…Goodbye, little mei!"

He smiled and winked and then began to fade. Pan's eyes widened, "Goten? Goten! No! Come back…Ojisan…"

But it was too late. He was gone. Pan sighed. Images of Videl and Gohan flashed far away and they called out to her…

"Pan! Come here Pan!"

She looked at them in despair and whispered, "My parents… they must be… I remember… Otousan! Okaasan! Mommy … Daddy …"

Looking at the figures summoning her from afar, she felt tears prick the back of her eyes. She couldn't handle another loss! She couldn't handle having the people she loved fade like the sunset… so beautiful, but gone so fast. She couldn't take it, Instead of running towards her parents, she ran away. She didn't want to lose them… she ran, and ran, and ran for what seemed like forever into the blinding white nothingness of her dream. 

Suddenly, she heard a giggle and looked up, "Who's there?" 

"Pan-chan! Come to the mall with me!"

"Huh?" this female voice was familiar, yet she couldn't place it…

"Pan? Where are you? Aw Pan, come on! Don't be like that!"

"Who's there?" she asked, looking around, "Who are you?"

"Gosh… I just want to do a little shopping! Please Pan?"

"What the…?" this is so familiar… who is she?

"Pan…Oh, no!… HELP ME! PAN HELP!" the girl's voice echoed throughout the dream. 

"What?! Where are you?!" Pan looked around desperately, but there was nothing just white light, "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"PAN! HELP ME! HEEELLLLLPPPP MEEEEEEEEEEEE……."

****

*BRIIIIIIIIIINNGGGG*

Pan sat up straight in bed, pulled from one reality into another. She tried to shake the dream from her mind. Looking around, her room was luxurious and she knew that it was probably the last time she would be sleeping under a roof. She got up and stretched. She kicked in the air a few times and did some slow martial arts moves. It always got her fully awake. Pan went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. Taking a quick shower and washing her hair for what might be the last time for a while, Pan couldn't help but think all the while of her dream. She always had dreams like that. Dreams where she actually belonged with everyone… Dreams where she had a family. 

Dreams where she would lose everything again and again and again. This dream, however, was different. A girl had called to her for help. The voice had been similar to Bulma's… but that couldn't be, right? It was always so difficult to draw the line between reality and imagination… to the line between sanity and desperation... between who she really was, who she pretended to be, and who she was in her dreams. Pan sighed.

How could she be sure of anything? She didn't even know if the people who she cared about the most really existed or not. She couldn't find the answers, although she supposed they were hidden deep within her. But that girl… maybe she was really in danger! Could it be a premonition? Pan didn't know. She didn't even know who the girl was… but she decided that if she was going to help her, she knew only one thing for sure… she had to train.

Pulling on her clothes from the night before, she went into the living room. Elilan was not awake yet. She supposed that no one else in the entire eastern time zone was either. Calling room service, Pan ordered a breakfast big enough for several people. She made sure to tell them to give lots of bacon. Pan could take it on her trip with her. 

Dinner last night had been huge, and Elilan had been amazed at Pan's appetite. They had planned the rest of their journeys, right down to Pan learning how to pick locks and pickpocket. Pan taught Elilan a few simple, but deadly Martial Arts moves so that he could protect himself. 

When breakfast arrived, Pan took it graciously and set it out on the table. She woke Elilan by yelling threats to eat all the food, because he knew she was capable of it. Soon he was ready for breakfast. They ate together, but of course, both of them put away some bacon for later. Pan put away more though, because Elilan knew that his would last him longer. The two finished off breakfast… well.. Pan finished it off, and they made a few last minute plans. 

Leaving the hotel, Elilan was bummed to be alone again… but Pan… she was ECSTATIC! Finally! She could be alone… explore the open road on her own. She didn't mind having company for a little… but she was more than glad to be flying solo once again. They said their good-byes, and wished each other luck.

"It was nice knowing you Pan. Thanks for paying my fare… I've never seen anyone who can hack sites the way you can. Or devour so much food. Thanks for the martial arts lessons. It's been fun."

"Yeah. You're not too bad yourself Elilan. Thanks for the hotel room, the food, and everything you taught me. Good luck with your journey."

"I bet you'll have a blast out there, Pan! Enjoy your odyssey. I hope you find what you're looking for."

With that they went their separate ways. Pan sighed and breathed in the fresh air, rich with the smell of freedom. She decided there was no time to lose. She could enjoy being alone and free later. Right now she had to get out of Canada. The area wasn't crowded this early in the morning, but a few stores were open. Going into one of the stores, she changed her Canadian dollars into American dollars. She was left with $366. She knew it wasn't much, but she didn't care. She left for the entry to the Journey Behind the Falls. It was closed. 

She smiled. That was even better! Now she could explore on her own. Something down in the water called to her, and she couldn't wait to get down there. She saw a rainbow forming. There was always a rainbow or two in the Falls. The mists from the Falls would rise and the sun's rays would make the droplets explode into the colours of the visible spectrum. 

__

Someone paid way too much attention in science class! She thought to herself, _It's not the visible spectrum, or created by prisms and white light and Isaac Newton discovering blah-blah-blah… it's a rainbow. A beautiful rainbow. There's nothing more to it than that. Who cares about the reasons why. Humans just can't accept anything for it's true beauty… they have to know why and how and where and when and dissect things till they're ruined or extinct… well, not rainbows. Humans can wreck a lot of things, but there will always be rainbows. That's one of the things that they can't take away from me! _

Pan grabbed a wire from her pocket, and picked the lock of a door embedded into the rock. She head a click and tried the knob… _YES! I get in behind the falls for free, and I get in ALONE! I have HOURS till it opens officially!_

Not believing in her amazing luck, Pan closed and locked the door behind her and looked around disappointed. _DAMMIT! THIS PLACE REEKS OF HUMANS! COULDN'T THEY HAVE LEFT IT NATURAL! NO! OF COURSE NOT! THEY HAVE TO GO AND DIG A SQUARE TUNNEL INTO THESE BEAUTIFUL ROCKS! _

Look at this! TINY windows! I can't see anything out there! I wanted to feel the power of the water! I wanted to feel the mist on my face! Instead I'm trapped in this human-made tunnel looking out of a window at the water. I suppose it's "safer" for the little humans. She walked on through the tunnel, fuming at how much the humans had wrecked the place. She could barely see anything in the darkness. She felt it pointless to go on. Sitting down in the tunnel she leaned back against the man-made smooth rock wall and closed her eyes. Why had she wanted to come down here so bad? Had her instincts failed her? 

She took a breath and held it. Crossing her legs, she exhaled slowly. It was so close, this great power of water, so powerful that it's mist rose up into the clouds, so powerful that it sent a glittering foam to gently wash over the rocks. (it's really beautiful, and the foam does glitter, I swear!) So powerful… she wanted to feel the full extent of this power. She focused on the water… it's image in her mind, it's sound in her ears, and it's power alluring her, drawing her to it. It was difficult for her, because she was always more of a fire person, but this element was quickly finding it's way into her heart. It didn't burn out the fire that was already there, but instead they both grew… feeding off each other's power…

It was rushing through her veins, like a river's strong current, she could feel the pounding within her chest, the rhythmic synchronizing of her body being drawn to the water. The raw power of it, flowing through her. The feeling was incomprehensible. The water called to her, and she wanted nothing more than to feel the power of the water engulf her. Not just like this, but physically. 

She opened her eyes, and the darkness stole her away from the water's grip. Gasping, she uncrossed her legs and realized that she had been meditating… _so this is how Piccolo feels when he meditates! No wonder the guy's addicted…_

Pan took a deep breath in. She continued down the tunnel till she reached the other waterfall. A little light came through the water, making this part of the tunnel less dark. Pan remembered how she had felt the water as part of her when she was meditating. The water had called her. But she knew that the water wasn't the reason she had been drawn to the Falls in the first place. Maybe… just maybe… the water was trying to show her something? 

She studied the window. It was embedded firmly into the rock. It was several inches thick. She breathed in deeply… _I am Pan… but not just Pan… I'm Gohan's daughter…Goten's mei … that is who I am in my dreams… and I believe…Yes! I BELIEVE! I am _SON_ Pan … I am everything I want to be… I am a saiya-jin… I am power… I am strength… I am hope… and I will get what I want WITH NOTHING STANDING IN MY WAY!!_

She let out a yell and punched through the glass with all her strength… to her surprise, the thick glass cracked beneath her fist and began to crumble. She gasped in joy as the water sprayed her face. She removed her knapsack and jumped up onto the window sill. It was a small space, about the size of a computer screen, but she crawled through it. Soon enough, she was standing out on natural rock, right beneath the full power of Niagara Falls. She put her backpack back on and laughed aloud at the wonderful sensation she felt. She couldn't identify it. It was beyond happiness. 

She held out her hands and felt the water as it thundered over the rocks, and tilted back her head so that the water could spray her face . She knew that it had more than enough power to kill her, and the danger of being so close to the water without restraints just made her love it more! She was after all, an adrenaline junkie, and man, what a rush! She felt that calling again, as if going where it was forbidden wasn't enough, she still wanted more.

Pan began to crawl along the rocks, feeling her way with her fingers, since it was pretty dark. This side of the water looked black, but not as dark as the tunnel. Black water… It was terrifyingly beautiful. The roar of it filled her ears and as she made her way along the rock face, her fingers felt something smooth. It was embedded into the rock, or maybe wedged between them… maybe it was a rock that had been smoothed by the force of the water… it was too dark to see… She began to claw at the rock around the smooth rock till her fingers were raw and bleeding. She tugged at it but it still wouldn't budge. She pulled harder and harder until it finally gave way. It nearly threw her off balance, and she swayed for a second, the only thing that was keeping her from plummeting to her death was the four fingers holding her to the rock. 

Putting the item in her mouth, she managed to bite down on it and climb back down to where the window was. Sliding through it, she took the rock out of her mouth and put it into her knapsack. Whatever it was, she would find out later. Maybe it was a gemstone, or something valuable that she could sell… the money from that should take her all over the world! Running through the tunnel, Pan saw a light and ran even faster. She found another door, with light shining through the cracks around it, and she quickly slipped through it. 

Sunlight! It hit her face as she emerged onto the American side of the falls. There were no people around. It was still quite early. Pan was itching with curiosity to see what she had gotten from behind the falls. Opening her pack, her fingers closed around the precious sphere. Bringing into the sunlight, it sparkled. Pan's breath caught in her throat. She stared at it. 

She cupped it in both hands and held it up in front of her. She felt something, like chains being lifted off her heart. She held in her hands the proof of her sanity, the fuel of her dreams, the source of her hope, and the truth of her soul. She bit her lip, laughing aloud at herself, but laughing fondly, and not mockingly. It was no longer laughter that said, "I hate myself, I hate my pathetic life. I'm so pathetic that I'm laughing at my disgusting self." it was laughter that said, "I'm Son Pan! I am a saiya-jin! I am strong! All my dreams will come true! My odyssey will help me find the missing pieces of my heart… and for the first time ever… I actually believe in ME!" 

She continued to laugh aloud. She hugged the sphere, knowing that it was more precious than any gem she could have found. This meant more to her than any of her possessions… it gave meaning to her life. For it was, and you may not believe this, but it was a Dragonball!

It had two interlocking stars on it, and Pan was about to burst with the sheer joy of having found a Dragonball. She couldn't wait for tonight! She would tell Trunks and Goten in her dreams. She would have to apologize to her okaasan and otousan for being mean last night. She wrapped up the orange ball in her orange bandanna and placed it gently into her blue backpack. 

Standing straight and tall with the pride of her discovery, Pan set out due south. She was already in Buffalo, and she knew what her next move was… walking over to the Rainbow Bridge, Pan found a sidewalk and continued down it into the heart of Buffalo. She noticed a spring in her step that hadn't been there before. Smiling, Pan walked down the early morning road, knowing that her odyssey had only just begun.

* * *

She saw it lying against a pole in an alley. It was beautiful. It was metallic purple and just her size, she picked the lock and detached it. Now it was hers… her very own mountain bike!!! She swung her leg over it and sped down the street. She felt sorry for the kid that it belonged to… but not that sorry. She kept riding for several minutes at high speed, then slowed to a leisure roll. This was truly freedom! While going down hill she stopped pedaling and threw her legs out, laughing aloud at the sensation of the wind on her face. 

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" shouted a little voice. Pan pulled the brakes hard, and looked to the source. A little redhead girl about 5 or 6 years old…

"Yes, what would you like?" asked Pan.

"I think that dat's you!" she said, pointing up to a wanted poster on a pole several feet above her head. Pan's eyes widened as she saw the picture of her self and she tore the poster off the pole.

Turning to the little girl she smiled, "Thanks for the tip, kid."

"You welcomes!" said the little girl giggling and running off.

__

If a little girl can recognize me, the police will be on my trail in no time! Looking around, Pan noticed a salon, a clothing store and some other useful places around the area. She frowned, _This sucks… _Sighing she locked up the bike to a pole,_ but I know what I have to do. _

About an hour later, Pan's hair had been cut off to about shoulder length and streaked with orange, (imagine Pink's hair in her video for Just Like A Pill, but with orange and a little longer) and she sported new jeans that were less torn up than her old ones, and a black imitation leather jacket over a red tube top. She wore a fake belly button ring to complete the masquerade. When looking at herself in the mirror, she found that she somewhat liked this new deceptive appearance of hers. It was all part of the game. With her old clothes in her backpack, she got back on her bike and started down the street again… but as she was riding, she noticed a boy with a spray can, doing some graffiti on a wall.

"Hey, that's really good!" she said, putting the breaks on her bike, and studying his image. It was a dragon… the blue eyes white dragon, with three Japanese hiragana characters beside it. She managed to decipher the characters. _Lo…Ga…N!_

"Logan?" she said.

The boy turned to face her, "You can read Japanese?"

"Yes… I see you're a fan of Yu-gi-oh…" she smiled, "I'm an Anime freak myself."

"What's your favourite?" he asked.

"Dragonball Z…" 

He grinned, "I love DBZ. Too bad about the rerun syndrome."

"Tell me about it!" she said, "So, how long have you been doing this?"

"Oh, you mean the graffiti? For as long as I can remember… Nice look by the way. I like your hair…"

She laughed, "Me too."

He looked her over, "Are you running away?"

"How can you tell?" she asked.

"You look free. I don't see many people who have freedom in their eyes. I don't know why you did it, but I think you did the right thing."

"I think so too… my name's Pan," she held out her hand.

He shook it, "Nice to meet you. You wanna hang around for a while? I can show you Buffalo."

"That would be cool. You got a bike?" 

"Right here," he grabbed his bike and mounted it, "C'mon, follow me if you can keep up!"

She grabbed her own bike and raced after him. He took a few steep paths through a park and she followed easily, and then he rode uphill, expecting her not to keep up with the tough path. She arrived behind him without breaking a sweat. 

"Wow, you're good!" he admitted, "At this rate you could bike all the way to the mountains."

Pan stopped, "The Mountains? You mean… The Appalachians! That's a great idea! That's where I want to go! The mountains!"

He looked at her strangely, "Well you gotta at least check out my dojo and my gym before you leave Buffalo."

"Dojo?! Gym?! ALLRIGHT!" Pan exclaimed. Logan sped back down the hill and she followed close behind.

After about two hours at the gym, Logan was burnt out, but Pan was still just warming up.

"Come on, I'll take you to the dojo now," he said, out of breath. He pedaled just down a street and made a few turns here and there, and came to stop in front of a dojo.

Pan was bursting with excitement as Logan opened the door and walked in. She walked in behind him, peering around his shoulders to get a glimpse of the beautiful intricate interior design of the dojo. A man was practicing Kendo on a mat in the center of the room. Pan admired his sleek predatory movements, the way he pounced like a panther, but recoiled like a snake from the attacks of his invisible opponent. He suddenly stopped. Taking off his mask, he didn't even turn to look at them, but he asked:

"Logan, who have you brought to me now?"

"This is Pan, sensei," said Logan, respectfully, "She is my new friend, and she can read my Japanese graffiti! I was wondering if…"

The sensei laughed and turned to bow in greeting to Pan, "Konnichiwa, Pan. Logan is always bringing his friends here to see if they have any secret hidden powers. He has a very strong belief in the ancient Japanese arts."

"Konnichiwa sensei. Hajimemashite. Doozo yoroshiku," Pan said bowing.

"Well, you got the language down," said the sensei smiling, "Just need to work on the accent. Would you two like some tea?"

"Yes, please," said Logan, surprised at Pan's beginner knowledge of Japanese. Most kids his age weren't interested in learning about Asian dialects. They followed the sensei through elegant sliding Japanese screen paper doors (you know what I mean) and into a back room where there was a traditional setting. Pan loved it. 

"We're going to have to get you a fighting gi, Pan," said the sensei, "Maybe you can borrow one of Logan's."

"Oh, please!" she said eagerly, more than happy to be back in a fighting gi and out of these ridiculous tight clothes.

"Just wondering," said the sensei, "Are you from Toronto?"

She looked at him suspiciously, "Why do you ask?"

"Because flyers were distributed throughout the martial arts community that a girl from Toronto ran away from home, and she is a great martial artist. Her name is Pan too. Isn't that a coincidence?" the sensei's eyes twinkled with mirth. Pan made a mental note to stop giving out her real name. 

"What would you do if I am her?" she asked.

"I would not treat you any differently, than I would treat you if you were not her," he answered, "except I might train you harder."

"You won't turn me in?" she asked, then realizing her mistake, "I mean, you wouldn't turn me in if I was her?"

"Of course not!" he said, "You look perfectly healthy and happy to me. Your reasons for running away are your own. You are not in desperate need of education, for in your description you were called dangerous as a result of your intelligence. I see no reason for turning you in. I ran away myself when I was a kid. Don't worry, I understand."

Pan smiled, "Thank you, sensei. I guess that means you'll be training me harder."

"Hai, it sure does!"

* * *

They had been training for a while now. Pan's hair, even at it's short length had managed to fit into a pony tail so that it stayed out of her face, but it was pointless because the fighting messed it up. Not that she cared. 

Her white fighting gi was comfortable and she moved freely in it. Too freely for Logan's liking, for he had already been defeated by her. He didn't mind though, for now he sat to the side, watching the fight between his sensei and Pan with great interest. It almost looked as if Pan was winning, but that wasn't possible, right? The sensei had his whole life's experience, and Pan had a few years. 

Yet, she kept matching him, move for move, blocking his every attack or counterattacking it. It looked like it was child's play to her, and the sensei was obviously impressed. At the end of the match, Pan had won, no one was too seriously hurt, and they had all had a great time. The sensei had never seen any one with so much skill at that age. (or at all, probably)

"Who was your teacher in Toronto?" he asked, "I must meet him."

"Actually, I had a few teachers. I took Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, and a lot of other styles… but I mostly just trained on my own in my spare time," she admitted.

"No one can get that good from just training on their own!"

"I entered some competitions and gained experience there… I usually came out on top."

"That isn't surprising. You're a natural. Is there anything I can do for you before you leave the city?"

"No, I'm just going to go out for lunch and then bike my way over to the mountains," she smiled and bowed, "Domo Arigatou, sensei. I had a lot of fun. You are a very skilled opponent, and better than the teachers in Toronto."

"Thank you… wait a sec, did you say BIKE over to the mountains?" she nodded, and he frowned, "The mountains are pretty far away… it would take days."

"I know," she said, "But it's a good workout. Besides, I'm not old enough to drive and haven't got enough money for a plane ticket."

The sensei turned to Logan, "Logan, you've finally found someone with secret hidden powers. What do you say we buy her lunch and drive her down to the mountains? It should only take a few hours."

Logan smiled, "I think we should, sensei!"

"No! Really, you shouldn't. I eat like a sumo wrestler, and I'm not joking!" Pan held up her hands.

"I've never seen a sumo wrestler eat before! I bet it's cool to watch! You can keep the gi, too," said Logan, "Up in the mountains no one cares what you're wearing. Besides, I know you are more comfortable in it than you are in the punk get up."

She smiled, "Thank you, Logan. I hope I meet more people like you on my odyssey."

* * *

Several hours later, Pan was standing in a midst of trees near a cliff. She had said her good-byes to Logan and his Sensei. She had left the bike in Buffalo, deciding that she wouldn't need it in the mountains. The mountain range was beautiful and Pan couldn't wait to go exploring. She was tired of cities, and farms looked too depressing, but the wilderness was alive and exciting, and hers to explore. 

Her backpack contained the Dragonball she had found earlier. She had been sorely tempted to show it to Logan, but she knew that she shouldn't. Pan walked as deep into the woods as she could, noting the wild berries and the game that she would have to live on for a while. She had read countless books about surviving in the wilderness and knew that she could do it without difficulty. All she needed now, was to find a fresh water stream and a good place to make her temporary shelter. This was like heaven to her.

There was a moment when she realized that she was finally completely alone. Just her and hundreds of miles of forest and mountain. She sighed and took off her backpack. Flopping back onto the grass, she gazed into the endless depths of the sapphire sky. _The colour of Trunks' eyes, _she thought fondly. It was such a pure shade of blue, uninterrupted by even harmless wispy cirrus clouds. She smiled, knowing that this would ensure good weather till she could find shelter. The grass smelled sweet and nature's silence filled her ears. She closed her eyes and let her freedom wash over her like the gentle breeze swaying the grass. She breathed in deeply of the mountain air, noticing how fresh it was compared to the stuffy, polluted, sickening urban atmospheres. 

Pan wondered if there were any animals… deer or something, peering out from behind the trees at her, wondering what this strange human was doing in their territory. Pan smiled at her silly thought and wished, that if there were any animals, she could tell them that she was one of them, an outcast to humans, someone they try to "protect" when all she really wanted was to run free like an animal… and then they would try to hunt her down and put her back in her zoo… or cook her for lunch. At least the animals would give her some space.

Something far away interrupted her thoughts… a whimsical, yet serious voice…

__

Pan-chan…

"Trunks?!" Her eyes shot open and she stood up. Looking around she saw nothing, "I heard your voice Trunks. Don't play games with me! Show yourself."

She adjusted her backpack from her arm to her back in one smooth move and slid her other arm through the strap, ready to chase the voice if necessary. 

Pan looked around, and sighed. Nothing… but she was almost sure that…

Closing her eyes, Pan exhaled in a feeble attempt at meditation… 

__

HELP ME! PAN! HELP ME!

That girl's voice again! Opening her eyes, Pan looked in a certain direction... her instincts told her that something was wrong... but she didn't hear any screams. No signs of combat. No shaking trees. She didn't sense any really high power levels … Well, she didn't even know if she knew how to do that… but the point was that she had no clue what she was supposed to do. Act on impulse because of a girl's voice screaming out for help inside of her head? Yeah… that was probably it.

She made her way up the side of a nearby mountain, it was steep, but covered in forest so it was a simple climb. In fact, it was child's play, but Pan kept herself busy by entertaining thoughts of a mountain demon holding the girl captive. She wondered how she could defeat a mountain demon? Well, maybe it was a giant ape. Or maybe attacking aliens! Or evil androids!

Pan walked on, wondering if she was crazy. The girl probably didn't even exist. Just a figment of her imagination, right? Following a voice in her head! Of all the insanity! Her thoughts were interrupted by a blood-curling scream. _THAT'S HER! SHE'S NEARBY!_ Pan broke off into a run and found herself at the edge of a cliff where a girl with aquamarine coloured hair was dangling from the edge. 

"HELPPPPPP!!!!!!!! HELP MEEEE!!!!!!" 

__

It's the voice from my dream! The girl's fingers were slipping and she let out another scream before she lost her grip on the rock face. Pan's reflexes kicked in and she dived off the cliff, managing to grab onto the girl's arm, right before she tumbled to her death, while grabbing onto a tree root with the other arm. _Good Dende, please don't let it break, please don't let it break!_

Taking a deep breath, Pan looked down at the girl. She had banged her head on one of the protruding rocks on the side of the cliff, and now she was unconscious. Pan looked up. _How can I climb back up without dropping her? I have to save her! I have to! But how? OH NO, DAMMIT, I'M SLIPPING! THIS WAS SO MUCH EASIER AT NIAGARA FALLS! I JUST PUT THE DRAGONBALL IN MY MOUTH… MY MOUTH! THAT'S IT!_

She bit down on another root and quickly grabbed onto a stronger tree root with her supporting hand. Satisfied that it could hold both their weight, Pan managed to pull herself up with that one arm and pull the girl up with the other. She put her foot onto a rock and managed to crawl back up onto the cliff, while pulling the unconscious girl up to safety. She laid her out on the cliff and checked her head where she had hit it. It wasn't bleeding, but there was a little bump. 

"Well, I saved you, whoever you are! It wasn't quite a demon or an android, or any thing I expected, but nonetheless, I saved you!" she smiled with pride and turned her attention back to the girl's injuries. She had a slight concussion. Pan would have to take care of her so that she didn't slip into a coma.

* * *

When Bra woke up, the first thing she saw was the twilight sky, and the few stars that were already visible. She attempted to move and cried out at the sharp pain in her head. She suddenly remembered falling off the side of a mountain. _I'M ALIVE! My journey isn't over after all! I'll still get to see Goten! Someone must have saved me… Oh, I can't believe this! I had thought it was all over, but now here I am… my Dragonball… Where's my Dragonball?! _Trying to move again, she bit her lip at the pain. Bra moved her hand up to touch her head and found that it was bandaged up with some sort of cloth. She realized that she was propped up on something and that she was covered by a blanket. 

"So you're awake," said a girl's voice. Bra looked up and saw someone in a white fighting gi sitting by a fire. 

"Who are you?" she asked, painfully forming the words. 

"Here, drink this," and ignoring the question, the girl held out a small cup filled with an unknown liquid. Bra didn't know what it was, but she drank it as the girl held it to her lips. It wasn't bad tasting, but it was strong... tea or something. Bra felt a gnawing in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm hungry," she said with a gasp.

"Hungry?" the girl groaned, "Just great. Me too… Here, I've got some bacon."

Feeding her the last bit of bacon, the girl frowned, "Listen, I'm gonna go get some food okay?"

"Okay, I think I'll just go to sleep…" 

"Oh, no you don't! You're going to stay WIDE awake, so that so don't slip into a coma, okay?" the girl growled, "And if you DARE fall asleep… Well, just DON'T okay?! Here, I got an idea."

She rummaged around in her backpack, and pulled out her disk-man. She placed the headphones on Bra's head, and put in her Linkin Park CD, "There, that should keep you awake." She pressed play and turned to leave.

"Wait!" said Bra, "Who are you?!"

She didn't answer, but disappeared into the forest. Bra sighed. At least the music was good.

* * *

Pan walked through the forest looking for game. She was armed with a branch that she figured would make a good spear. As she made her way through the dark woods, she couldn't help but think of the memories that seeing the girl's face had awakened in her… memories that made them seem like close friends… but how could that be? She had just met her!

The girl not only sounded like Bulma, realized Pan. She looked a lot like her. Right down to the unusual colour of her hair. _Things like that just can't be coincidence._ If Pan didn't know better, she would say that the girl could be Bulma's daughter or something. Well it was possible… unlikely but possible…

*Flashback*

"Pan, stop!" cried the blue-haired girl, rushing up to her, "they said that you can't fight! It's too dangerous! Pan, please! They threatened to send us away if any of us ever tried to fight again! Don't go!"

Pan bit her lip, "I have to Bra, I'm sorry. Everyone's out there, right now fighting. Trunks and Goten are out there fighting. They're risking their lives, and I can't take it anymore! I don't know if I can make a difference, but I've got to try!"

"Please! I don't want to be sent away! Pan…"

"I have to go. Nothing will change my mind."

"I…I understand. Well, then Pan-chan… I just wish I could go with you…" she sighed, and hugged her best friend tightly, "Good luck. Do me a favour and protect Goten?"

Pan smiled, "Don't worry. I won't let anyone mess with him."

*End Flashback*

The memory was confusing. Really confusing. Was it even a memory? If it was, then it would mean that the girl's name was Bra. _Weird name_, thought Pan, then it hit her… _underwear! Briefs! Bulma! Trunks! It makes total sense! Bra would fit into the family perfectly… wouldn't she?_

Pan wondered if it was just her crazy imagination. She heard a nearby rustling in the bushes, and for once she _knew_ that it wasn't her imagination. She turned and threw her spear with speed and precision. It made a sickening sound and Pan walked over to see a deer lying dead. 

She dropped to her knees and looked at the poor animal, "I'm sorry… but this was the only way… I'm sure you'd want to eat me too if you were a hungry saiya-jin."

* * *

Pan cooked the meat over the fire. She had rubbed some berry juices on it for taste. Bra watched her carefully. When the meat was done, Pan helped Bra to sit up and eat it. 

"Can you tell me who you are?" 

"I'm Pan."

"Pan? That name is so familiar…Thanks for saving me, Pan. I'm Bra."

"I know who you are."

"How do you know?"

"I don't know how I know, I just know that I know!," Pan said, confusing both Bra and herself.

"Huh?" Bra asked, then it hit her, "Pan? You… you wouldn't happen to be Pan SON by any chance, would you?"

"I guess so."

"You guess so!? What so you mean 'you guess so'?!"

"I mean I GUESS SO!" clarified Pan, "So I suppose that means you're Bra Briefs?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

There was a short silence, then Pan couldn't help but ask, "Do you fall off cliffs often?"

"No… I slipped! It could happen to anyone."

"Sure it could. I bet there are lots of people who do it all the time." 

"Hey! Gimme a break, will ya! I wasn't paying attention…"

"Sure you weren't."

"It could happen to you too, ya know! So don't get so cocky."

"Well, of course it could happen to me. But I would pull myself back up."

"What if you couldn't?!"

"I've done it before… single-handedly."

"I'll bet you have!"

"I have… I couldn't exactly use both hands. You were in the other."

"What? Oh…" Bra chewed on the deer meat, "Uh, this tastes REALLY REALLY bad! It's practically raw! I'm hungry and this is what you give me!"

"Gee, I'm sorry PRINCESS!" Pan looked at the girl with disgust, "I'm hungry too you know! I bet you couldn't actually kill an animal if your life depended on it!"

"I COULD TOO!"

"Sure."

"And I could cook it A LOT better!"

"Sure. I bet you couldn't even start a fire."

"I COULD TOO!"

"Of course, _princess_."

"AHHH! DAMN YOU!"

"My sentiments exactly."

Pan stopped talking. She had just wanted to be alone and free, and now she had this annoying girl to deal with. Even if she was related to Trunks, she was a real pain in the tail. Pan had liked her better when she was unconscious. Pan tasted the deer meat, and even though it wasn't the best meal she'd ever had, she knew that it was better than nothing. She couldn't even believe that her, Pan Son, a purebred 100% city girl was actually surviving in the wilderness. _And doing a hell of a good job too_, she added.

Bra sighed and finished up her food, "Can I go to sleep now?"

"I suppose so…" said Pan, "But I think I have to check on you every 4 hours or something."

"Just great," said Bra sarcastically. She turned over so that her back was facing Pan and she went to sleep. Pan sighed and lay on the grass near to the fire, so that she would keep warm. She threw some more wood on it so that it wouldn't burn out. 

"Hey!" said Bra, annoyed, "I can't sleep with that fire burning!"

Pan growled low in her throat, "Fine, _Princess_."

She got up and stomped out the fire, "Happy?!"

"Yes. Thank you," Bra turned over and went back to sleep.

Pan sighed for what much be the millionth time and collapsed on the grass. There was one good think about being up here in the mountains. The stars were more visible than she'd ever seen them be before, and she traced her favourite constellations. She shivered, and pulled her gi around her closer. Too bad that princess Bra over there had the blanket. Pan looked up at the stars, moving her finger along the imaginary lines. She remembered all the stories behind the constellations.

Bra turned over again, "Can you stop that? It's annoying."

Pan growled, "Listen, PRINCESS, I don't care how big that bump on your head is, you're not going to stop me from looking at the stars, understand?" 

Bra looked up at the sky, and back at Pan, "Fine. But… if you're going to do that, could you at least tell me what they are?"

Pan looked at her, and quirked her eyebrows, "Fine then. You see those stars over there? The ones that make a sort of big **W** shape?"

"Yeah. What about them?"

"They're supposed to represent a lady named Cassiopeia. Beside it are her husband and daughter in other constellations."

"I don't get it. How do you find a lady in a group of stars that form a **W**?"

"I don't know. It's mythology… those ancient Greeks and Romans saw it. She's supposed to be sitting on a throne fussing with her hair."

"That's so weird… but… in a way…it's interesting! Tell me more!"

"Okay… um, see over there? The dipper?" Pan traced it with her finger. It was practically the easiest one in the sky, "It's part of this Ursa Major thing… The big bear. It's also known as the drinking gourd. The one that the slaves from the South followed North to freedom in Canada. The two stars at the end of it always point to the North Star. Polaris."

"Is that the North Star, then?" asked Bra, pointing.

"Yep, that's it," Pan smiled, "The whole sky revolves around that one star. Well, that's what it looks like. It's actually the earth turning. Polaris is at the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper… do you see it?"

"Yeah! Hey, cool!" Bra pointed at a bright star, "What's that one called?"

"Vega."

"Neat! And that one over there?"

"Cor Caroli… supposed to mean Richard's Heart or something."

"What about that one?"

"It's Betelgeuse. It's an old star. It's gonna die soon…"

"When?!"

"How am I supposed to know? A couple thousand years or something. Maybe even a few million."

"You call that soon?!"

"In space years, yes it is. Our sun isn't that old. It's definitely got a few million years left."

"Wow. Space is so weird."

"I agree. But… its so beautiful too, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"I almost feel like I belong there…"

"That's crazy. I've never heard anything so stupid! You're totally insane. And you know what's the worst part, Pan?"

"What?"

"I feel the exact same way."

Pan smiled. She grabbed some of the blanket away from Bra and pulled it around her, Getting comfy in the little grass bed. She looked up one last time at the beautiful night sky before she closed her eyes. 

Bra yawned, and gently touched the bump on her head, from which the throbbing had begun to cease. If she had known Pan a little longer then she might've guessed that the bandage around her head was actually a certain trademark orange bandanna. 

"Oyasumi nasai, _Princess_ Bra Briefs. You had better not be so damned snotty in the morning."

"Goodnight to you too, Miss Pan Son. You had better not be so freakin' cockyin the morning."

This chapter is finally over! How'd ya like it? I really put a lot of effort into it, so you better review and make it all worthwhile. It's your turn Bra! Goodbye everyone, and also good luck in guessing who we are. ^_~


End file.
